Tangled In Time
by TwilightFairy928
Summary: Half a century later, Ganondorf finds he has survived the Master Sword's blow. After hearing a child named Link has been born, Ganondorf decides to kidnap him. After all, why would Link want to harm his loving 'father', even if it's at the cost of Hyrule?
1. A New Plan

Chapter 1

-A New Plan-

First, everything was a blur. Bright colors swam before his eyes, then slowly it all became clear. The room, not as he had expected, was actually quite dark. He lay on a soft bed that reminded him of home, and a veil obstructed his view of the rest of the room. The man attempted to sit up, but groaned in pain.

"He's awake!" the crackling voice of a old woman said through the veil.

"Don't move, don't move!" another voice said urgently. It was identical to the first, but it undoubtedly belonged to a second person. They sounded familiar. _Very_ familiar. He tried to respond, but could only groan again.

"Would you _stop_ making such a fuss, boy?" the first voice snapped. _Boy?_ He was already fully grown; it had been a very long time since he had been a child, the man was even much older than he appeared. How old were these two to view him as so young?

"You'll just make it worse!" the second scolded, "Now, stop moving around so much!" A gnarled, bony hand gripped the curtain and jerked it to the side. His eyes widened upon seeing the two familiar faces.

"K-Ko-" the man grunted.

"Oh, shut up and take this potion!" Koume said, thrusting a bottle of blue liquid in his face. She suddenly pressed it against his lips and began draining it. He choked, and, shoving the bottle away, spat it out.

"For Din's sake," Kotake said, clearly exasperated, "The Great Ganondorf, king of the Gerudo, spitting out his medicine like a child!" Glaring at them indignantly, Ganondorf wiped the potion off of his chin with the back of his hand.

"_What-"_

"Take this," Koume insisted, as she took another bottle of blue potion from her sister and handed it to him, "It will heal you." Not taking his eyes off of the two, he took the bottle and slowly drained its contents. With every swallow, he could feel his strength returning. Ganondorf then thrust the bottle back at them, and sat up. He carefully swung his sore legs over the side of the bed, and attempted to stand.

"_Don't!"_ the twins shrieked at once.

"You're too weak!" Kotake said.

"You need more rest!" Koume said. He grunted in response, and glanced around the room. His eyes fell on the sword that lay on a nearby table. _The Master Sword. _

"So… I survived the Master Sword's blow…?" Ganondorf thought aloud.

"Barely."

"You are very lucky to be alive."

"Especially since you no longer have the Triforce of Power."

Anger surged through the Gerudo king as the memory returned to him. Slamming his fist down onto the bed, he growled, "That kid… _Link…"_ He paused thoughtfully, and asked, "How long have I been unconscious? What happened to the boy?"

"You have been asleep for _decades." _

"That kid in green? He grew up- and _died,_ only recently."

"You know, though," Kotake said, "there has been word of an infant that was born to a knight and his wife."

"We don't know what this may mean, or if this has anything to do with the hero," Koume continued, "But the child's name is _Link."_

"Link?" Ganondorf guessed, "The one who nearly killed me… and the one who sent me to the dark realm… they both had the same name- _Link."_

"Do you want _us_ to… _dispose_ of the infant, then?" Kotake said ominously.

"We know that the knight and his family live in Hyrule Castle Town," Koume added.

"No…" Ganondorf replied, thinking carefully, "You said that the last one with the name Link died recently. How recently?"

"Just before the new Link was born."

"The day before, I think."

"Then it must be that when one Link dies, another is born to take his place as the next defender of Hyrule," he said, "Be it so, then if the child dies, another one will take his place. I won't know where he is, though… no. _I will take him." _

"You are still too weak."

"So, will you need a few minions to do the job?"

"No," he replied, "I will do it myself. In a few days time, I will find the child and take him as my own."


	2. To Take As His Own

Chapter 2

-To Take As His Own-

A week had passed since Ganondorf had awakened. Though he had preferred to leave sooner, the Twinrova insisted on more rest. Before he left, he made sure to disguise himself. Just because it had been over fifty years since his supposed 'death' didn't mean people wouldn't be able to recognize him. Legends described him perfectly well, and his appearance was very distinguishable anyway.

Ganondorf pulled the hood of his cloak low over his new, tanned face and quickly brushed his now long, black bangs out of his face. As he crept down a dark, side road in Hyrule Castle Town, he silently slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of blue potion. He unscrewed it, and winced as he took a draught of the disgusting liquid. As unappetizing as it was, though, Ganondorf could feel the pain in his stomach ease.

Wiping a bit of potion that had dribbled down his chin, the dark sorcerer continued forward. The house that Koume and Kotake had informed him of was just ahead. Reaching the entrance to the cozy looking home, he rose into the air and examined the rooms through the closed windows.

Soon, he came to the one he was looking for. A man and a woman slept peacefully in a large bed, and a cradle was just at the foot. Using his magic to lift the window open, he slipped inside. Walking over, Ganondorf surveyed the infant sleeping peacefully in the cradle. The child looked exactly as he had imagined. Blond hair, and most likely almond shaped blue eyes. He would find out soon enough.

Carefully he stretched his arms down into the cradle and gently lifted the baby into his arms. The infant twitched, but did not wake. He proceeded to the window and stepped through, floating slowly to the ground. A pain suddenly surged through his stomach, forcing him to fall the last couple of yards down. Although he was still strong enough to land cat like, he groaned in pain. He was not fully healed. The drop, along with the sudden noise, startled the child, who awakened and began to cry.

A light came on in the house, followed by a scream and shouts of horror. Ganondorf bolted back to the town's western gate. Outside, the descendant of his faithful horse waited. He leaped onto the horse's back, careful to keep the child in a comfortable position. Spurring the horse into action, he bolted back to Lake Hylia, where the Twinrova had cured him and were currently living.

The parents of the little boy now knew that he had been taken, but Ganondorf would be far enough away before anything could be done. He had the child; his goal was now accomplished. It hadn't been as flawless as he had intended, due to his lack of strength, but Ganondorf felt a wave of pride flow through him. Even without the Triforce of Power- which he would retrieve one day- it did not make him powerless.

The child was his, now. He would tell little Link that he was his father, and conceal him from all. The boy would be raised without ever knowing about the outside world.


	3. Too Dangerous

Chapter 3

-Too Dangerous-

A splash could be heard, followed by laughter, at Lake Hylia. A ten year old boy named Link swam to shore, reaching his friend, a scrawny, eleven year old boy named Falbi II.

"See? I _told_ you I could do it!" Link said, crossing his arms proudly.

"_Veeeeery _nice! But how did you even get up there?" Falbi asked, shielding his eyes as he looked up at the tower-like island, "I mean, without even any equipment?"

"I've been practicing, and I finally figured out where all I can put my feet and keep my grip," Link replied, and with a grin, added, "Now, can _you_ get up there?"

"Hmm… I don't know," his friend said, honestly, brushing a hand through his messy brown hair, "Maybe with some practice. Y'know, my great-grandfather worked in a circus. Maybe I inherited some of that talent."

"Was that who you were named after?" Link asked.

"Yup."

"Hey!" he said thoughtfully, "Then, didn't your great-grandfather and that other guy start the 'Fyer's Cannon Rides' and 'Falbi's Flight By Fowl'?"

"Yup."

"That's been around for a while, right?"

"Yup."

"How long?"

"I'm not sure," Falbi said, scratching his head, "I guess somewhere between fifty to sixty years?"

"Have you ever played either of those games?"

"Well, they sort of work together," his friend explained, "But yes, I have tried it."

"What's it like?"

"Scary. Ever imagine what it would be like to be a cannon?"

"Uh… no, I-"

"Then imagine what it's like to fly back down here, clinging to the drumsticks of a cucco for dear life."

"Um… a cu-"

"Yes, a _cucco."_

"Oookaaaaay," Link said slowly, "I didn't know that it was so… weird."

"Yup."

"So…" he continued, "is there a way… to the outside world, from there?"

"The out- is that what you've been getting at?" Falbi said, "You're always curious about what's beyond the lake, aren't you?" The younger boy nodded vigorously.

With a sigh, Falbi answered, "Yes. There's a door that leads to the 'outside world'." Link gazed longingly up at the tops of the earthy walls all along the lake.

"Do you think I'll ever be able to leave the lake?"

His friend scratched his head again. "I dunno… your dad doesn't want you to leave Lake Hylia… _period,_ right?"

"No…" Link said, his hopes shattering, "He says it's too dangerous. But, haven't you been there?"

"Only a few times, actually," Falbi said, "and I've really only been to Hyrule Castle Town." Link's bright blue eyes widened so that they almost bulged.

"_Oh-ho, no!_ Don't give me that look! I'm _not_ getting in trouble with your dad! _He's huge!"_

"Aw, c'mon, Falbi!" the other complained, "It's not like you're actually _taking_ me there! I just want to know _about_ it!"

"_Really, _I don't-"

"What are you two talking about?"

They turned around to see a young teen standing behind them.

"Mido!" Falbi gasped. Mido, another boy who's family moved to Lake Hylia several years previously, was thirteen, with a blue eyes, brown hair, and a scowling, freckled face. He took pleasure in bossing the two around, which resulted in Falbi's fear of the bully, and Link's rivalry with him. Now, Mido crossed his arms and glared down at them.

"_I said,_ what are you talking about?" Mido barked, causing Falbi to wince.

"What does it matter to you?" Link snapped back, curling his hands into fists.

"I'm older than you," the teen said with a cocky smile, "and I'm bigger than you. If I want to know what you're up to, I get to know. Got that, squirt?" Anger boiling up inside him, Link stepped forward, raising his fists and gritting his teeth. A hand suddenly stopped him. His friend nervously shook his head, making him decide to step down.

"Uh… well, we were just seeing who could climb up that tower-island, there. See?" Falbi indicated the island Link had jumped off.

Cracking his knuckles, Mido said, "That's _easy._ At least, for _me._ Watch and learn." Link rolled his eyes. He knew well enough that Mido didn't have an athletic bone in his body. As if to prove his point, the teen jumped into the water and swam to the little island. He turned back toward the other two and grinned cockily. Grabbing a small ledge, he hoisted himself up, slipped, and splashed back into the water. Surfacing, Mido gasped for air and glared back at the two boys who were now stifling laughter.

"Yeah, well, I just… _wanted_ to get you two to laugh!" he shouted at them defensively, "And it worked! Now, I'm _actually_ going to climb this! Watch me!" Link couldn't hold it in any longer. He laughed out loud, and even Falbi was turning red from laughter. Just as Mido was about to yell at them again, there was another voice calling to them. They turned to see Saria, a girl who had lived at the lake nearly as long as Link had.

"Hey, guys!" she called waving. She stopped on the nearby bridge and noticed Mido.

"What are you doing, Mido?" Saria said, placing her hands on her hips.

"I- uh- um-" the teen stuttered. She shook her head in disapproval. Looking back over at Link and Falbi, her jaw dropped, but even at a distance, she seemed to be hiding a smile.

"Link!" she shouted, "Look out!"

"Wha-" he said, but before Link could react, a large hand reached in front of him and he was lifted up into two, strong arms. Startled, he looked up at his 'attacker'.

"Papa?"

A grin broke across his father's broad, tanned face. The man released a low rumble of a chuckle at the boy's shock. Link, hearing laughter, turned to Mido. He glared at his rival, and so did his father. Mido immediately fell silent. Mr. Siegfried Dragmire was a very tall, large man, made of nothing but sheer muscle. He had black hair and sideburns, and brown eyes that could pierce into any soul. Mido and Falbi were always nervous around him. Saria was not as afraid of him, but she respected him, nonetheless.

"It's time to eat," Mr. Dragmire said.

"Already?" Link said, "but couldn't I stay here just a little bit longer…?"

"No," he said, "and I need to talk to you on the way. It's fairly important."

"Oh," Link nodded, feeling rather curious. He called to his friends a farewell and followed his father back to their home, which stood next to an old watchtower.

"What did you need to tell me, papa?" Link asked. Glancing back at him, his father explained, "I will be gone for a few days. I must travel to Hyrule Castle Town for supplies."

"What kind of supplies?"

"Food, clothes, new boots, books for you to learn…" Mr. Dragmire said, and grinned as he glanced back to see his son frowning.

"More books…?" Link whined, "but haven't I learned everything I need to learn by now…?"

"You never stop learning, boy."

Considering that, another thought came to the boy: "Can I come with you?"

"No."

"But papa, why can't-"

"We've talked about this many times, Link. It's too dangerous," his father firmly answered.

"But won't you need me to try on tunics, to see what fits?" Link suggested, "Because I've-"

"_Link,"_ his father growled, turning around, "I told you _no._ You don't know what's out there. _I do. _As such, I will _not_ permit you to come."

Realizing that it would probably be wiser to drop the subject, Link followed him the rest of the way home in silence.


	4. Curiosity Killed The Cucco

Chapter 4

-Curiosity Killed The Cucco-

Link trotted after his father toward the enormous cannon that would blast Siegfried Dragmire out of the Lake Hylia. When they had reached the bridge just before the cannon, Mr. Dragmire turned around to face his son.

"Behave your best for Aunt Koume and Aunt Kotake," he instructed, "I will return in a few days' time." With a nod, he turned back around.

"_Papa!"_

Mr. Dragmire stopped, feeling two small hands clasp his arm. He turned again to see the boy staring up at him with two, enormous, baleful, blue eyes. The child stepped back, lowering his head and began to nervously tap his fingers together.

"Yes?"

"Um… I just… I, uh…" Link said hesitantly.

"Is something wrong?" the man said, raising an eyebrow.

"No," the boy answered, seemingly mulling something over, "I'm just… um… really going to miss you." Link bit his lip and smiled hopefully. Mr. Dragmire smiled.

"How about I bring a treat back for you?" he offered, "Something like a pastry, perhaps? Or some kind of candy?" Link nodded.

Sensing that there was still something wrong, the man asked, "are you sure there's nothing else you want to tell me?" Link opened and closed his mouth a few times.

"No, I'm okay," he finally replied, shrugging, "I guess it's not really that important. And… I like the raspberry filled pastries."

Nodding, his father said, "Maybe I can at least take you to the desert above Lake Hylia one day." Link gasped, then lowered his head.

"Yes, I know what you really wanted to say," he continued, "It's all right. Do you remember the name of the desert? It is called the _Gerudo Desert._ There is an old prison there, called the _Arbiter's Grounds._ In it, there is a special chamber entitled the _Mirror Chamber._ There were once many fierce beasts guarding it… as well as the many prisoners. You see, the Arbiter's Grounds once housed only the dangerous of criminals."

"Papa, how come you know so much about that prison?"

Pausing, the man whom the boy thought he knew so well, and yet knew nothing of, simply replied, "I taught you, did I not? That requires me to know many things."

Link thought for a moment, shuffling his feet, then said, "Have you been there before?"

"Yes," he replied.

"When?"

"Long before you were born."

"Why did you go _there?"_

"_Link,"_ the man said, exasperated, "I need to leave. The sooner I leave, the sooner I shall return. With pastries."

Link sighed, then said, "Okay… goodbye, papa."

His father smiled and replied, "Goodbye, Link."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

As Link opened the door to his house, his eyes immediately began to water. Wafting the stench away, he called out to his great-aunts.

"Aunt Koume? Aunt Kotake?" he shouted, squinting to see through the thick, blue haze that was consuming the house. He coughed and held his nose as he hurried further ahead.

"Hello?" Link called, a cloud of blue mist spewing from his mouth. He gagged, as the air seemed to constantly become thicker.

"Link?" one of his great-aunts replied, "Is that you?"

"Yes!" he said, "Where are you?"

"I'm here, boy- just a moment," the old woman said. Something nearby banged open- a window, he guessed- and all of the blue smoke flew out in a rush. Link stared blankly forward for a few moments, then shook his head. He was never going to get used to living with witches…

Now that he could see the room clearly, Link saw that one of his aunts, Kotake, was brewing a potion. He stuck out his tongue in disgust.

"Why do you always have to make that stuff?" he asked, "It's gross!"

"Now, Link," his aunt said, "you know that your papa needs this to help heal that wound of his."

"But papa _hates_ this stuff!" Link protested, "I've seen him take it. He makes faces and looks like he's just gonna throw it back up. What good does a nasty, smelly potion like that do for him?"

With a sneer, Aunt Kotake spat, "It is _medicine,_ boy! This potion is an especially strong one that heals Lord G-"

"Papa's a _lord?"_ he gasped, "He never told me-"

"_Forget that!"_ she shrieked, "Just… why don't you help Aunt Koume gather mushrooms? I need some for this concoction."

"But-"

"_Go on!"_

Link hurried out of the room and down a hallway toward the backdoor. He passed his father's bedroom, but stopped, glancing inside. A beautiful sword with a blue hilt, which was usually displayed on the wall opposite the bed, was gone. Though curious, Link decided that the road to Hyrule Castle Town really must be as dangerous as his father described. His eyes continued to survey the room, until they fell on a nearby desk. There was his father's rupee pouch.

"Now papa won't be able to buy anything…" Link muttered. Just then, he had an idea.

"I'll take it to him!"

He reached for the pouch, but hesitated, as something occurred to him. Would his father be angry if he left to take this to him? No. Papa would just be glad to get his rupees back… right? Besides, Link could just come straight back to Lake Hylia. IT would be simple, and he would get to see a part of the world he had never seen before.

As the idea sounded better and better, Link grabbed the pouch and hurried out of the room. He ran down the hall ("No running, boy!" Aunt Kotake called, "You know the rules!") and slowed to a walk, reaching the door to the outside. He opened it, stepped down a couple of stairs, and onto the plush, green grass. He glanced around, noticing Aunt Koume, who was picking mushrooms nearby. Her basket was nearly full, Link noticed. She didn't need his help, did she? No.

Link ran around to the side of the house to a table, next to a spicket. He picked up a satchel that contained items that he had collected over the past few days- a Zora scale, a Kargaroc feather, the feather of a colorful bird, an interesting rock, and an empty bottle. He removed the feathers, but kept the rest. The scale, he knew, would help him stay underwater longer, the empty bottle he could fill up with whatever he needed, and the stone… well, it didn't weigh much, and Link had the strange feeling that he needed to bring it along. It was a green stone with what seemed to be wood weaving around it. It felt somehow… familiar and important to him.

Strapping the satchel to his belt, Link felt the wind begin to blow. The two feathers flew off the table. He managed to grab the colorful one, but groaned as the Kargaroc feather escaped his grasp and was swept high into the sky and out of sight. He decided to tuck the remaining feather into his bag.

Link then pulled out his bottle and used the spicket to fill it up with water. He shut the water off with a creak, and shoved the cork back onto the bottle. He then placed it back in his satchel, and then closed the bag up. The boy then turned toward the cannon that would take him out of the one place that he had known his entire life, and on to a new and unfamiliar world beyond. Link sighed, taking in the gravity of that thought. He hurried on.

As he rushed down along the path, a familiar voice stopped him It was Saria, calling and waving to him, followed by Falbi and, unfortunately, Mido.

"Hey, Link!" Saria greeted him.

"I can't talk right now, Saria," he said, "I'm kind of in a hurry."

"To do _what?"_ Mido asked, with a smirk.

"Are you busy gathering mushrooms for your aunts, again?" Saria said, "Because we can help you with that."

"I don't think-" Mido began, but snapped his mouth shut, upon receiving a glare from Saria. She then smiled sweetly at Link.

"No," Link said, pulling out the rupee pouch, to show them, "I'm returning _this_ to my papa."

"Hey, hey!" Falbi exclaimed, "You know you're not supposed to leave the lake!"

"Yeah, Link!" Saria said, "You'll just get yourself into trouble! You might even get hurt…"

Mido snickered, "Yeah… Why don't you go on, then, huh?" You leaving is just sounding better and better."

"_Mido!"_ Saria gasped, punching him in the arm, "That's a _terrible_ thing to say!"

Link raised an eyebrow. She had never actually _punched_ Mido before.

"Hey," Falbi said, "I know you're curious to see what's out there, buddy, but you know what they say: _"Curiosity killed the cucco."_

"I know that, but-" Link said.

"…and besides," his friend continued, "Your dad's probably going to be mad. _Really_ mad if you leave. You're not going to be able to sit down for a _week_ when he's done with you!"

"I'm just going to take his rupee pouch back to him, then I'll be right back!" Link insisted. They all fell silent, for a moment.

"It's… not that easy, Link," Saria said, gently, "Look- we really don't want you to get hurt. The three of us have seen what's out there, and your father's right. It's dangerous; especially if you're going alone and without a weapon."

"I don't care!" Link shouted, "_I haven't_ been able to see what all of you have, and now I actually have a _chance_ to! So, whatever happens, _I'm going."_

Link spun around on his heel and marched toward the cannon. He stopped once he reached the bridge, hearing footsteps behind him. He turned to see Saria.

"Saria, I-"

"I know… I can't make you change your mind," she said, "but… there's something I wanted to give you." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small instrument.

"Your ocarina?" Link said.

"No," Saria said, "I made this one… for you."

"For me…?"

"Yes…" she said softly, "Play this ocarina whenever you want to talk to me. Play this song…" The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a second ocarina. She brought the little flute to her lips, closed her eyes, and played a cheerful, yet curious song. Once she was finished, she opened her eyes and lowered the ocarina.

"Don't ever forget, okay?" she said.

"I won't," Link said, "I promise."

"We'll always be friends, right?" Saria said, with a small, sad smile.

"Yeah," he replied, "Always."


	5. In Over His Head

Chapter 5

-In Over His Head-

Link's entire body was trembling, and his head was spinning. He clutched at his chest as his heart pounded furiously away. He decided he never wanted to be blasted out of a cannon ever again. He wobbled over to a door and, after leaning on it for a few moments, opened it and walked through. Inside, he climbed down a ladder, only to be surrounded by cuccos. A man knelt down nearby, tending to the poultry. He soon noticed Link.

"Well, hello, _hello,_ young sir!" the man greeted him, "Would you like try _'Falbi's Flight By Fowl'?"_

"No, sir," Link said, shaking his head, "I'm in a hurry to take something to my papa." The man nodded in understanding.

"Well, if you'd ever like to try out this little- but rewarding- game, just come by to see me!" the man said, and waved as Link opened the door to the outside.

Link's head began to spin again. Before him lay a vast world. Though there was a stone wall to his left, a path lead ever onward and another path went to the right, leading to the bridge he had seen so many times, which had been far above his head. How enormous it now seemed up close, and how vast the chasm of Lake Hylia now appeared far below!

Although his legs were still trembling, Link found the strength to run over to a fence, where he could see his friends- and Mido- gathered together in conversation. His great-aunt Koume must have gone inside, because he couldn't find her anywhere. Even the watchtower which stood beside his home seemed so tiny.

Far across from where he stood was the Gerudo Desert. The sand shimmered with the heat of the sun. In the distance, there seemed to be an enormous structure, with golden spires. Link decided that that must be the prison- the _'Arbiter's Grounds',_ he recalled- that his father had told him about.

If only Saria could see him now! But, wait, _could_ she? Link suddenly remembered what she had said:

"_Play the ocarina whenever you want to talk to me." _

He wondered what she had meant. How could she talk to him, when they were so far apart? Curious, he opened up his satchel and pulled out the ocarina. Remembering the song Saria had taught him, he blew into the little wind instrument and played the song. When he finished, Link glanced around, half expecting to see his friend standing beside him. A little discouraged, he tucked the ocarina back into his satchel.

"_Hello?"_

Link jolted and spun around. No on was visible around him, so where…?

"_Link, are you there?"_

"Saria…?" he said slowly, "Where are you? I can't see you!"

"_That's because I'm speaking to you telepathically,"_ she explained.

"You mean…" he said, dumbfounded, "You're talking straight to my _mind?"_

"_That's what telepathy is, Link,"_ she said, a giggle filling the air around him, _"I'm really still down here in Lake Hylia."_ Link climbed up on the fence and looked down. There, he could see that she was still standing where he had seen her previously.

"Oh, yeah!" he said, "I can see you from here!"

"_Really?"_ Saria said, _"Where are you?"_

"Look up at the bridge," Link instructed, waving, "then a little to… let's see, you're facing me, so… a little to your… left."

"_Oh, yes!"_ her voice echoed, _"I see you now!"_ Far below, he could see her waving back up at him. Soon, Falbi, seeing him as well, jumped and waved. Mido looked up, but, of course, he simply crossed his arms.

Suddenly, Falbi pointed up toward Link, distressed. He seemed to be shouting something to him. Saria, also noticing whatever it was, slapped a hand over her mouth.

"_Link!"_ he heard her gasp, _"There's something behind you! Something big and-"_

Link jumped as he felt a sharp sting on his behind. Terrified and in pain, he yelped and spun around, slipping off of the fence. His eyes slowly moved upward until they reached a familiar face. His stomach lurched.

"Papa?"

His father's face was almost crimson. Never having seen him so angry before, Link felt his own face burn with fear and embarrassment. He glanced back, realizing that Mido was seeing all of this. He turned back and gasped to see that his father had bent down so low that their faces were just inches apart.

"Uh…" Link stammered, "Papa, I- I-"

You _deliberately_ disobeyed me," his father growled, "I _specifically_ ordered you to stay at the lake."

"But-"

"Yet you did _not_ listen!" he continued, "Did you _misunderstand_ me?"

"No sir, but-"

"Did you think it would _not_ disappoint me for you to disobey me?"

"N-no, sir, but-"

"Did you think that you would _not_ be punished for coming to the place I told you _not_ to?"

"No, sir, but-" Link, seeing that the man began to open his mouth again, quickly reached into his satchel, pulled out the rupee pouch, and said, "I brought your rupees, papa! But… then I was going to go right back, after-"

"_Link,"_ Mr. Dragmire interrupted. Exasperated, he pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, "I can see that you cannot be left unsupervised…"

"Oh…" Link sighed, "So I guess I'll have to stay with either Aunt Koume or Aunt Kotake _all_ the time, huh?"

"No," his father said, "You will stay with me."

"But then you won't be able to buy all the things-" Link began.

"_No._ You will go with me, there, to Hyrule Castle."

Link stared. Was he really hearing that right? Having realized his jaw had dropped, he closed his mouth.

"To Hyrule…?"

"But _do not_ think you are out of any _trouble,_ boy," his father said, "Because _when we get there…_ well… we shall worry about that when the time comes. Do you understand me?" Link, dazed, nodded.

"There is one thing that I need to do to you, however," Mr. Dragmire said. Link's stomach churned again.

"It is a spell."

"A… a spell?" the boy repeated, "What kind of spell?"

"The kind that will alter your appearance," his father said.

"'Alter'…?"

"I am going to change the way you look," the man said, "to protect you."

"Oh," Link nodded, "What are you going to make me look like?"

"You are going to look more like me. Hold still," he said.

The sorcerer touched his forehead with the tips of his fingers, drawing forth a glowing mist. He then transferred the mist onto the forehead of the amazed boy. The strange essence seeped into the child's skin, forming, momentarily into the shape of the jewel Ganondorf had once worn. Link's face then began to change. His skin became darker, his eyes became a rich orange, and his hair turned a vivid red. The Gerudo king was staring into the face of his younger self. This was not his intent.

Link frowned, noticing his hair, and said, "Papa, your hair isn't red. It's black. Why did you make my hair red?"

"Wrong spell…" the man muttered, shifting uncomfortably. He waved his hands over the boy, covering him in more of the strange mist. When it cleared, Link looked as it was intended that he should. Black hair, brown eyes, and an almost tougher look to the child's features.

"That's better," Mr. Dragmire said, "Now, you will respond to the name _'Silvatis'._ Am I clear?" Link nodded.

"The reason for all this is, as I have said, to keep you safe," his father explained, "And now, come with me."

Link followed after him in a daze, still observing his new black hair and tanned skin with awe. He was lead to a large, black horse, and was placed upon the beast. His father climbed up onto the saddle behind him. Then, realization struck the boy. Link smiled.

He was going to Hyrule Castle Town.


	6. Misadventures In Hyrule Castle Town

Chapter 6

-Misadventures In Hyrule Castle Town-

"Whoa!" Siegfried Dragmire bellowed, pulling back on the reigns with one, powerful arm, the other clutching his son. Link, whom had never ridden on a horse before, trembled with shock and pried his fingers off of his father's arm. He felt a twinge of guilt, seeing red imprints and small, bloody scratches on the man's skin.

Mr. Dragmire carefully swung one leg over to the other side of the horse and dropped down onto the ground. Absentmindedly, he wiped the blood off of his arm and onto his red tunic. He then gently lifted Link up, then put the boy down.

"That wasn't _so_ bad, now, was it?" Mr. Dragmire asked. He suddenly winced and rubbed his sore arm. Link sighed, and began shuffling his feet.

"I'm really sorry about that, papa," the child said. His father shook his head.

"It is nothing," he said, "Believe me- I've had _far_ worse than this. Now, come along." Link took a step forward and, as his legs began to ache, fell to his knees. Helping the boy back up, Mr. Dragmire said, "I had forgotten that you might be sore, after riding a horse for the first time. Do not be concerned; it is common." Link nodded, clinging to his father's hand. He stood and wobbled forward. Even though he knew that his father would not allow him to fall, the boy couldn't help but feel a little insecure. He then gazed up and went limp, causing his father to snatch him up with lightning speed.

Before them were the great gates of Hyrule Castle Town, and peaking out from above it was Hyrule castle itself! The sight was even more fantastic than Link had imagined, and they weren't even inside the town, yet!

Link was carried over to a bridge, while noticing an elderly woman, nearby, whose attention was on a butterfly that had landed on a flower. Crossing the bridge, they could see a couple of guards standing at the gates. One of them called to the two travelers as they approached.

"Hello, sir, and welcome to Hyrule Castle Town!" the guard greeted them. He then pointed at Link and said, "Your boy alright? We have a town doctor."

"He's alright," Mr. Dragmre said, "First time riding a horse."

"Ah…" the other guard reminisced, "I remember _my_ first time horse riding… You'll get used to it, kid." Link nodded.

"May we… proceed…?" Mr. Dragmire asked.

"Oh! Yes!" the first guard exclaimed, "my apologies." He nodded to the other, and with the command, the second guard opened a door within the gate and gestured them inside. Link's eyes practically bulged at the sight within, as his father placed him back down. People hurried to and fro from dozens of shops as children and animals trotted after them. It was very noisy, as hundred of voices drifted through the air, goats stamped nearby in their stalls, children shrieked and laughed, dogs barked, and- _was that music? _They were- so many people!- literally everywhere, from walking or running on the stone paths, to examining the wares of the many shops _("You call this bread?"_ a woman shrieked), to high up in the balconies.

"Link," Mr. Dragmire said, "Hold onto my hand."

"Aren't I a little too old for that, papa?" the boy protested.

"I don't want to lose you in the crowd," his father said, extending a hand. Link reluctantly took it.

The boy was lead into the crowd. His legs were trembling, not because of saddle sores, but because of awe and fascination. He now understood why his father wanted to hold onto his hand. People were constantly bumping into them as they pushed their way through. Link clutched his father's hand tighter. Mr. Dragmire soon stopped by a shop selling fresh produce, turned and knelt down.

"Would you like to sit on my shoulders?" he asked.

"Aren't I a little too big for that?" Link said. The man shrugged.

"Too big?" he chuckled, "I'm bigger than anyone else here. You are certainly _not_ too big for me to carry. And," he added, as Link opened his mouth again, "You are not too old, I think. Believe me, you do _not_ know _old,_ boy."

"But… you're not that old, papa," Link said, "Are you? At least, I don't think so. Not like Aunt Koume or Aunt Kotake, anyway." His father laughed at that.

"Why, thank you!" he said with a small bow, "Now, come here. You will be able to see better." He picked up the boy, who released a yelp of surprise, and placed him on his shoulders.

After a moment, the man asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Oh, yeah!" Link replied.

"Good. I know a place where we can go."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"It's a bar," Link said flatly, in the way one would say, "It's a dead fish."

"Yes," his father admitted, "but the food here is good. You are _not_ allowed to try _anything_ with alcohol in it, though, understood?" he added jokingly.

"Yes sir, I know," he said.

"And, do you see?" his father said, pointing, "There's even a boy here who appears to be about your age." Link looked to see a boy with a shock of bright red hair who seemed to be eavesdropping on a curious group at a table in a neighboring room, which was partly concealed by a large curtain. He could see swords hanging from the men's belts.

"Can I go over there, papa?" Link asked, not taking his eyes off the swords.

"Yes," his father said with a nod, "Go introduce yourself to that boy while I buy the food. And remember, your name is _Silvatis."_

"Okay," Link said, jogging over to the boy.

"Hello! My name is-"

"_Shhh!" _the boy hissed, pressing a finger to his lips, "I'm trying to listen."

"Oh," he said, lowering his voice to a whisper, "Well, I'm… uh… Silvatis. What's your name?"

"Hang on, hang on," the boy whispered back, "I can talk in a minute. They're having a really serious discussion in there."

"Who is?"

"The knights."

"They're _knights?"_ Link exclaimed.

"No- _no! _Be _quiet!"_ the boy pleaded. A rustling could be heard from within, and the curtain was suddenly parted to reveal a blond man dressed in a green tunic. As the curtain slid closed again, he smiled.

"Eavesdropping again, Fyrus?" the man said, then, turning to Link, added, "and I see you've made a new friend. What's your name, lad?"

"I'm L- um, Silvatis," Link said, blushing slightly at his mistake. He would have to get used to that name.

"Really? Well, it's nice to meet you, Silvatis," he said, extending a hand, which Link shook, "My name is Raven."

"_Sir_ Raven," Fyrus added, "He's a knight."

"_Really?"_ Link gasped, "I've never met a knight before!"

"Yes, I've been a knight for quite a while, now." Sir Raven said.

"Oh, really? You don't look very old."

Sir Raven laughed, "Not all knights are old."

"He became a knight when he was very young, because he was- and _is-_ very brave," Fyrus explained, his expression of adoration. Sir Raven ruffled the boy's red hair.

"Are you sure you're not needed right now, Fyrus?" the knight said, nodding toward a woman standing at the bar's counter.

Fyrus waved a hand, brushing the comment away, "Mama knows what she's doing; she doesn't need me. Y'know," he said, pointing to himself, winking one orange eye as he turned to Link, "Mama says she was very lucky to have me, 'cause she says that there hasn't a boy born in our family for a whole century! That's really weird, isn't it?"

Link nodded, "a whole _century?"_

"Yup," Fyrus nodded, "Mama said that our ancestors come from a desert. I heard that _Ganondorf_ came from the same tribe! I hope we're not too closely related, though…"

Link thought for a moment.

"Who's 'Ganondorf'?"

Fyrus and Sir Raven stared.

"You don't know who _Ganondorf_ is?" Fyrus gasped. Link shook his head.

"He was a terrible, evil man who invaded Hyrule about sixty years ago," Sir Raven explained, "Ganondorf took control of the land for a short while, until the Hero of Twilight defeated him."

"But he's back now, somewhere, right?" Fyrus said.

"_Hush,"_ Sir Raven said, "That is none of your concern, Fyrus. Now, return to your mother and help her. And… _Silvatis,_ was it? You should return to your parents, or whoever you came with. Is that your father?" He pointed to Mr. Dragmire, and Link nodded.

"Then you ought to return to your father," Sir Raven said, but added with a smile, "It was very nice meeting you, though." With that, he disappeared back through the curtain.

"Meh, he always gets like that when it comes to these things," Fyrus said, "Y'know, it was his grandfather that defeated Ganondorf. He was the Hero of Twilight. I know what the hero's real name was, though."

"What was it?"

"_Link." _

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"…isn't that weird, papa?" Link ranted excitedly, "that I have the same name as a _hero?_ Well, I guess it's not exactly _weird,_ but really… _amazing! _Did you name me after him, papa? And did you know that the hero- the hero named Link- defeated a villain named _Ganondorf?_ They said he might be back! Maybe I'll be the next hero named Link to-"

"_That's enough,"_ his father said, messaging his forehead, "that's enough talking for now. Also, don't forget- your name is _Silvatis,_ right now."

"Yes, papa," Link replied, "Silvatis… _Silvatis…_Silvaaaatiiiisssss… Sil-"

"_Hush."_

There was a pause, then: "Hey, papa?"

The man sighed and said, "What is it…?"

"Where do you come from?" Link asked, "I mean, where were you born?" His father obviously hadn't been expecting this question.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, see, that boy that I talked to- Fyrus- said his family came from the desert. His ancestors, anyway," he explained, "So, it got me thinking- where are you from? You told me that you moved to Lake Hylia with mama right before I was born. Where did you live before then?"

"I… was born in Hyrule," his father simply replied.

"Oh," he said, "So, here, in Hyrule Castle Town?"

"Hyrule is much bigger than just this one town, boy," Mr. Dragmire chuckled, "Lake Hylia is a part, and the desert is a part."

"But they're so different!" Link exclaimed, "How can they ever be a part of the same thing?"

"It _is_ strange…" his father admitted, "but think of it like this: the sky and the earth are very different-"

"Yeah, you can't stand on the sky! If you do, you end up on the ground, and that hurts- a lot," Link said, shuffling his feet, "I know, because I tried it, once."

"Yes- _you did?"_ he said, glaring at the boy, who blushed at letting that slip.

He continued, "_The sky…_ the sky and the earth are very different, but they are all part of our world. On a smaller scale, the desert and lake, though nothing alike, are each a part of Hyrule. Do you understand?"

"I think so," his son said, slowly nodding his head, "So… where in Hyrule did _you_ come from, then?" The man paused, trying to come up with a believable answer.

"I-"

"I guess you wouldn't come from the desert, though, right?" Link babbled on, "Because I think that you once told me that they have red hair and dark, tanned skin. Fyrus looked like that, but you- well, you _do_ have tanned skin, but _your_ hair is _black,_ not red! Besides, Fyrus told me that there's only a Gerudo boy born once every century. I think you once told me that, too, papa. Hmm… maybe you're part _Goron, _or something."

"And why is that…?"

"Because," Link said, "you're really big, you're _really_ strong, and you look like you could eat rocks!"

"_Excuse me?"_

"_I mean- _I meant that-" the boy backtracked, "I just…! I meant that you look _strong_ enough to, that's all! Anyway," he said, attempting to change the subject, "Look at that! A store that sells _swords!_ Can we go over there?"

"_No,"_ his father quickly answered.

"Oh," Link said, then pointed toward another shop, "What about _that_ place, then? It sells fruit and stuff. You like fruit, don't you, papa? Or _that_ store- it… it sells _toys!_ Can we _please_ go over there? Maybe they have a slingshot!" Link slipped his hand out of his father's and bolted toward the doors of the shop.

"_Link!"_ his father called, grasping for the boy, but his son had vanished into the crowd.

"Papa, it's just this way…" Link paused, looking around through the dense crowd, "…papa? Where did you go? _Papa!_ Please! Where _are_ you?" His heart began to pound- he was lost.


	7. New Faces

Chapter 7

-New Faces-

The boy began to feel his heart pound as he spun around on the spot, scanning the countless faces as they rushed past. How could he become lost so quickly? Thinking fast, Link pushed past the people, squeezing himself through any small opening he could. He called for his father, but no one responded, and the familiar face did not appear. His voice was too weak to outmatch the noisy crowd. He needed help.

"Excuse me!" Link shouted, grasping the cloak of the person in front of him. The man before him stopped and turned.

"_Sir Raven!" _

"Hello again, ah Sil…" the knight said.

"Silvatis," he finished.

"Silvatis! Yes, I remember now! It's a pleasure meeting you again," Sir Raven said with a small bow, "but what are you up to, in this crowd all by yourself?"

"I'm lost- I can't find my papa," Link explained.

"Well, that's quite a problem, now isn't it?" the man said, "Why don't I help you find him? He was the tall fellow in the red tunic, wasn't he?" Link nodded. "Alright, then, let's-" Sir Raven stumbled slightly as two children, each concealed by thick, brown cloaks, crashed into him.

"Sorry," one muttered in a gruff voice, and pulled the second child along behind him.

"Wait a moment," Sir Raven said, catching the boy by the arm, "Come with me- both of you." Muttering a quick apology to 'Silvatis', the knight led them into a nearby building. It was empty aside from a few pieces of furniture and a goron merchant sitting up at the top of a flight of stairs, surrounded by his wares.

"Now," Sir Raven said, turning to the children, "What are you doing out here? You _know_ you're not allowed to leave the castle without an escort. Do you have _any_ just how worried you've been making your father? Have you _seen_ how many gray hairs you're giving him? And dragging your sister along with you! What were you _thinking?_ _Answer me, Tetra." _

"I'm sorry, Raven," Tetra said, removing his hood. Link's eyes widened. The boy who stood before him was, in actuality, a girl! The other child proved to be a girl, as well. Upon seeing her, Link felt his stomach churn and his face grow hot. He wondered why, after a moment. Though one girl appeared to be a tomboy, while the other was undoubtedly more dainty, they were, otherwise, identical- _twins,_ no doubt. Sir Raven shook his head.

"I might as well introduce you," he said, "This is Silvatis," he indicated Link, then gestured to each of the girls, "This is Princess Tetra and Princess Zelda, who ought to know than to _sneak out of the castle."_

"I am _truly_ sorry, Sir Raven," Princess Zelda said, with a curtsy, "We… we just…"

"We just can't stand being trapped in the castle all the time!" Princess Tetra finished.

"Well-"

"You're really _princesses?"_ Link exclaimed, "Part of _the_ royal family?"

"Yes!" Princess Zelda said, followed by another curtsy.

"…unfortunately," Princess Tetra added.

"You shouldn't be so ungrateful!" Sir Raven scolded, "You're treated well, you have a loving family, you can get anything you need and almost anything you want!"

"…except freedom," Princess Tetra said. Sir Raven opened his mouth again, but Link quickly cut across.

"Can you help me find my papa, now?" he said.

"Oh!" Sir Raven said, remembering the boy, "Of course!" He then turned to the two princesses, narrowed his blue eyes, and added, "And _you_ will accompany us. After, I will be returning you to the castle." Princess Tetra groaned.

"Wait."

They all looked up as a teenage boy jumped down off of the side a nearby staircase. Half of his face was concealed with a bandanna, and his blond hair covered one of his unusual, almond-shaped, red eyes. He crossed his arms and glanced down at the girls.

"I'll take them back."

"_Sheik,"_ Princess Tetra said softly.

"Prince Sheik," Sir Raven addressed the boy, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my sisters," he replied, "I've come to take them home."

"Excellent!" the knight said, smiling, "That would be very helpful, thank you." The prince nodded.

"Let's go, then," Sir Raven said, "Hoods up, your majesties." The princesses flipped their hoods up as the doors to the outside were open. A little ways before them, Link recognized the tall man that was speaking to a shopkeeper.

"_Papa!"_ Link called, bolting forward. But a hand caught his shoulder, to which he glanced back.

"We don't want you getting lost in the crowd again, do we?" Sir Raven said with a soft smile, "Please wait for me. I'll make sure you get to him." Link nodded.

"_Wait a moment- please…"_ a voice whispered behind him. He turned to see Princess Zelda.

"That man…" she said softly, "I wonder, which one is your father? Because the tall man, with the dark hair… he seems… strange. I do mean, there seems to be something about him, something… wrong."

"_That's my papa!"_ Link hissed back, "There's nothing _wrong_ with him!"

"Oh! Then, I'm sorry!" the princess quickly apologized, "I just meant that… I… nevermind… I must have been mistaken. Please- do take care!" Princess Zelda smiled, and gave him a quick nod.

"Sir!" the knight called, _"Sir!"_ Link's father turned.

"Is this your son?" Sir Raven said and gestured to Link.

"_Silvatis!"_ his father exclaimed, "Where have you been? Do _not_ wander away from me again, do you understand?"

"Yes, papa, I understand," Link replied, allowing his father to pick him up. Siegfried Dragmire turned to Sir Raven. He opened his mouth, but suddenly closed it, glancing the knight over.

"…thank you, for returning my son to me," he said.

"My pleasure," Sir Raven said, smiling, "I know how it feels to lose a child. My wife and I lost our son when he was an infant. He… was kidnapped. I've searched for him- I still do. I _know_ he's alive, and he's out there, somewhere. Hopefully, I'll find my son soon, too."

"Good luck. Maybe papa and I can help you find him," Link offered.

"Thank you," Sir Raven said, though Link could read doubt through the knight's gentle smile.

"We ought to be on our way, then, Silvatis," Mr. Dragmire said, and added to Sir Raven, "Thank you for your help."

"Of course," Sir Raven said with a nod and a wave, "Farewell, then."

Link watched the knight walk into the crowd, followed by the prince and two princesses. He seemed sad, the boy noticed. It was understandable; he'd lost his son, someone he loved and cared for. The man had seemed vaguely familiar, Link had thought. He wondered why, since he'd never left Lake Hylia until that day, and, therefore, had never met the man. Link sighed, watching Sir Raven and those he had met vanish into the crowd.

-Hello! I would like to thank everyone for your reviews. They're very encouraging! But I would also like to add that I will not be able to update as frequently from now on. These chapters were already completed, or I was just finishing them up, so I was able to update very quickly. However, I am currently working on the eighth chapter, so I'll probably have it up very soon.- TwilightFairy928


	8. Ambush

Chapter 8

-Ambush-

"Do we really have to go _already…?"_

"Yes, Link," Siegfried Dragmire said to his son, "We have all we need, and we've stayed even a day longer than I intended. It is time to return home." Link groaned. He'd had more fun exploring Hyrule Castle Town with his father than he could ever remember. He had absolutely _no_ desire to leave so soon.

"But, couldn't we stay just _one_ more day…?" the boy pleaded.

"No."

"Then… how about we see some _other_ places, then?" Link suggested, "Like the mountains that you told me about, or the forest, or, _oh!_ How about that _desert_ you said you might take me to, someday? Or-"

"_No, Link,"_ his father said, "We are going _home. Now."_

"But, _I don't want to!_ I- _OW! Ow, ow, ow…!"_ Link winced as his father gripped him by the ear.

"_No more protesting. No more complaining,"_ the man said softly but threateningly, "We are going _home._ Do you _understand?"_ Link nodded as well as he could, and his father released his ear.

After a pause, Link asked, "…then can we come back? Because I-" His father grunted.

"Um…" the child said uncertainly, "Can we-" Another grunt, louder this time.

"I'm _not_ saying that-"

"_Hush, boy."_

Link was pushing it; he knew that. So, he simply groaned, pouted, and promptly crossed his arms. Then he had an idea. He sighed. Then he moaned. Then he groaned as loud as he dared. His father stopped.

"_Link,"_ he said viciously, "Do _not_ make me have to _punish_ you." Link sighed again. He would drop the subject- for now. He followed his father out the town gate, down stairs, and to the loyal black horse that had been cared for in the town. The horse turned toward them, stiffening, as if at attention. As Mr. Dragmire loaded their belongings onto the beast, Link walked around toward the front of the animal.

"Hello, horse," he said.

"Noctis. His name is Noctis," his father said.

"Oh," Link said, reaching out to pet the horse's nose, "Hello, Noctis. I'm Link." Noctis glared down at the boy and promptly snorted in his face.

"_Ew! Yuck!"_ Link exclaimed, wiping the snot off of his face. Mr. Dragmire laughed.

"He'll need to get used to you, first," he said.

"Well, he doesn't have to be so _rude,"_ Link spat.

"Noctis is very… 'to the point', if you will," he explained.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," his father said, "That he'll decide if what you are doing is worth his time. He's a very clever horse, you see. If he would have been with us when you were lost in the crowd a couple of days ago, he would have found you within moments. He is like… a guard dog and a blood hound in one." Noctis snorted again.

"…in the form of a magnificent stallion." he finished. Noctis whinnied in agreement.

"Yes, well, you really _are_ a very… a very… hmm…" Link thought carefully, as the horse glared menacingly down at him, "…a very wonderful and smart horse, Noctis." Noctis proudly lifted his head high.

"Now," Mr. Dragmire said, picking up his son and placing him on the horse, "It is time to go." He climbed up behind the boy and took the reigns. He paused.

"Have you noticed?" he said suddenly. Link frowned.

"Noticed what…?"

"The spell is wearing off," his father explained, "You appear as yourself, now." Link looked down at his hands, then, grabbing a lock of hair, he examined it. It was blond, again.

"Are my eyes blue again, too?" Link asked, turning around as best as he could. His father leaned forward, and winced.

"They're not, are they?" the boy said, "They're still brown, I mean?"

"No…" he replied, shaking his head.

"Then why…?"

"Nevermind…" he muttered, "we must leave- quickly." As he made a motion to command the horse to move, Link couldn't help but feel concerned.

"Papa?" the child said softly.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

For a moment his father's face was unreadable. Then he smiled and said, "…yes." Frowning, Link turned back, but not before something caught his eye. Hanging from the side of the horse, from the side he could not see, before, was his father's beautiful sword. Though a bit rusty, the vivid blue of the hilt and the wonderful silver of the blade still shone in the morning light. As the sun revealed itself from behind a cloud, the golden jewel inlaid within the hilt seemed to wink at him as it twinkled. Link wished so much that _he_ could hold it.

"Papa-" he began, but his father whipped the reigns and tapped his feet on Noctis's sides with a loud "HYAAA!" and the horse bounded into action. The sudden movement caused Link to fall back against the man, his heart racing. He felt his father tense, as if he were expecting something.

Link gasped as he could see what was before them- a great fog had covered the ground like a blanket. Mr. Dragmire had decided that they would take a different route home, through what he called, "The Southern Hyrule Field of Faron Province". At the time, this place fascinated Link by the sound of it. But now, he felt afraid. This feeling escalated as he noticed his father sliding is hand around the hilt of the sword. Link shook his head- had more rust really had just crept onto the old blade at the man's touch…? No, he decided, it was just his imagination.

The boy jolted- a shadow glided through the fog- or was that just his imagination again…? No- another shadow, and another, and then another until it was a swarm of silhouettes, surrounding them.

"Hold tight to me," his father said gravely.

"_Papa, what going on?"_ Link wailed, reaching back and grasping his father's tunic.

"_Just do as I say and do not let go!"_ he commanded, raising the sword into the air. Link shrieked as the figures emerged from the mist, and dived at them. Siegfried Dragmire batted them away with such force that the strange, ugly, bird-like creatures crashed into the ground with a terrible scream. Bursting in after them were frightening horned beasts that rode giant boars- a vision, to Link, seemed like a nightmare. His father kicked at them struck them down with the sword. Then, something happened that frightening Link more than anything else.

"_Papa! I'm slipping!"_

"Hold on- just a moment longer, Link- _hold on to me! Link!"_

His father's voice seemed to be nothing more than an echo as Link had already lost his grip and slid off of the saddle. He fell down, down, down as everything spun around and around. Everything was a blur, as could only see gray, then blue, and that repeating itself several times before he felt hard earth beneath him. He numbly felt himself roll down a hill, and suddenly felt wet and cold.

Link gasped for air as he lifted himself out of the water. Still dizzy, he collapsed, again picking himself up out of the water. He tried to focus, and his surroundings slowly cleared. He was sitting in the shallow end of a small pond, having rolled quite a ways down. He clumsily climbed to his feet and staggered over to the grass. He shivered as he sat on the soft grass, breathing heavily. Link shook his head, trying to think clearly.

"Papa…?" he called, and coughed. When he received no answer, he tried again, "Papa? Where are you? Papa!" His voice echoed, with no response. He stumbled to his feet and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Papa! Where _are_ you? Please answer!" he begged, his heart beginning to pound again, "I'm here! Where are you? _Papa!"_ Link sighed, and flopped back onto the grass. Tears began streaming down his cheeks- he was terrified and in pain. He had never been so alone before.

He called out again, still with no reply. Link sniffed as he laid his hand down on something cold and hard. He looked down- it was his father's sword! The man must have dropped it, having reached out to catch him, Link thought. Then the sword must have tumbled down along with him, he concluded. The boy tried to lift it up, but he was sore and it felt so heavy. He sighed.

After a while, not knowing where to go, or what to do, Link became tired and laid down; his vision blurred with tears and weariness. He flinched as he began to feel aches again all over his body from his fall. Too tired to worry too much about it at the moment, he began to close his eyes. The fog was starting to clear, and he thought he saw another figure form- that of a man. Link dreamt that it was his father, coming to take him home. He felt himself being gently lifted up and carried away. Dreams are such powerful things- or so Link thought.

-Hello! I wanted to say that, well, I am _very_ sorry that I haven't posted anything for a while! But I've been very busy (school- you know how _that_ is. _Four_ tests at once, and it's been pretty crazy, anyway.) so I really haven't had much time.

Anyway- I was asked about the timeline, so this is when Tangled In Time take place: the beginning of the story takes place about half a century after Twilight Princess, so it's along the Ocarina of Time 'child timeline'- that's why Koume and Kotake are still alive. Ganondorf's injury is the one he gets at the end of Twilight Princess (I think Link actually returned the Master Sword, but in this story, he didn't, and that's why Ganondorf still has it.) and he's still in pain because of it- this is why he has to take the powerful blue potion. The story, right now, takes place about sixty years after Twilight Princess.

About Saria, Mido, and Falbi: this Saria and Mido are not the same ones from Ocarina of Time, although they are both originally from the forest and possess similar personalities to their namesakes. Falbi II is descended from the Falbi in Twilight Princess at Lake Hylia. His father and grandfather weren't named after him, so that's why _this_ Falbi is Falbi _II._

About Sir Raven: He is the grandson of the Link in Twilight Princess, and the descendant of the Hero of Time. This is the same Raven you see in the manga of Oracle of Ages.

Also, the reason why I don't name the creatures that Link sees, is because Link doesn't know what they are, yet. And about Link falling off of the horse- I've fallen off of a horse before, and I must have rolled in midair as I did so. Fortunately, I just fell straight down and not down a hill, ha! Anyway, that's why I described his fall like that.

Hope that helps!- TwilightFairy928


	9. In Faron Woods

Chapter 9

-In Faron Woods-

Link slowly opened his eyes, emitting a groan. Within a few moments, everything came into focus. He gasped. Having expected to see his bedroom, he instead found himself in a new, unfamiliar place. It was like being inside a tree… or perhaps he was. Everything, he noticed, was blanketed with dust, and corners were filled with cobwebs. Regardless, the place still felt rather cozy as a faint light from the outside seeped into the strange house. Link attempted to sit up to get a better look at his surroundings.

"You should rest more, you know."

Link gasped, jerking around to find the source of the voice. A pain surged through his body, causing him to cry out. He suddenly remembered what had happened and slumped back onto the little bed.

"Do you see? You have not fully healed yet. You must rest."

Link scanned the room- nothing. He narrowed his eyes and looked harder. His heart pounded- he couldn't escape in this condition.

"Who are you?" he called, _"Where_ are you?" Link shrunk back as a little cloud of dust formed around a creaking chair in the shadows. Out stepped a man. He was middle aged, wearing a cream colored tunic which was decorated with red designs and chain mail underneath, and tattered, old boots. He had blond hair with hints of gray, which fell down along the sides of his face. While his right eye, or at least where it had been, was concealed by an eye patch, his other eye, a vivid sky-blue, watched the boy carefully.

"You took quite a tumble," the man said, ignoring the questions, "You're hurt. You need to rest."

"Not until I know where I am!" Link protested. The man stared at him for a moment before answering.

"You are in Faron Woods, child," he said calmly, "In a tree house."

"Is…. Is this your home?" Link asked, looking around, his eyes catching sight of a three-horned helmet stacked on top of a pile of armor, "Why is it so dusty in here?"

"It is an old place," the man admitted, "A tree that was carved out long ago and used as a home for a very long time, now. It has been inhabited, then abandoned, and now used again."

"Oh…" Link said softly, "So… who _are_ you? Do you live here alone? Are you the one that saved me?" The man narrowed his eye and leaned forward against a small table before him.

"First," he said, "I see no reason to give you my name. But I _would,_ however, like to know _yours."_

"Link," he replied, "My name is Link." The man nodded. Though he was not certain of it, Link thought he saw a small smile cross the man's lips for no more than a second.

"Very well. Secondly," he continued, "I do live with another. A… relative. Thirdly, yes, I am the one who found you and brought you here."

"Oh, well… thank you," Link said, quickly bowing his head, "Hey… where is your… uh… relative? What's he- or she- like?"

"He is out, at the moment," he said simply, "and he is… very much like you, from what I can tell."

"Really?" Link said, "When will he be back?" They both turned as the door suddenly creaked.

"I'd say right about… now," he replied as the door swung open. In stepped a young man wearing a green tunic. A grin formed on his face as he noticed Link.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed happily, "How are you feeling?"

"I… uh…" the boy stammered, feeling rather shocked at the cheerful reaction, after speaking to the other mysterious, soft-spoken man.

"He needs to _rest,"_ the older of the two men said, exasperated.

"I'm okay," Link insisted, "Um… who are you? Or can't you tell me, like that guy?" He pointed to the middle aged man. The younger man swept off the pointed green hat he was wearing and placed it on the table. He then walked over to Link and knelt down beside the bed.

"Just ignore him. He can be a bit of a… grump. I'm, ah… Hakumei," he introduced himself, "and that man, there, is… Jikoku. What is your name?"

"I'm Link!" the boy replied with a grin. He was liking Hakumei, already.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Link," Hakumei said, "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm a little sore, but much better, yes," he said, "Can I go outside? I want to see where I am."

"No," Jikoku quickly answered, "You _must_ rest! Simply because you do not feel pain at this moment does _not_ mean that you are fully healed!" Hakumei sighed.

"I'll go with him."

"No!" the man commanded "He must stay here to-"

"_And he will!"_ Hakumei insisted, "Once he's had a look around. This will allow him to stretch, as well as ease his curiosity."

"…alright," Jikoku consented with a grunt, "but if he injures himself in the process-"

"Then _I'll_ be the one to look after him!"

"…fine."

Hakumei turned cheerfully toward Link and held out his hand. With a grin, Link grabbed it and was pulled out of the bed and onto his feet.

"Come with me," the young man said, "I will take you outside. But you must _stay_ with me. Do you understand?" Link nodded.

Hakumei turned and walked over to the door. He grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and pulled the door open. Link winced as light from the outside flooded his vision. As he held up his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, Hakemei jogged out in front of him onto the grass and spread his arms wide.

"Welcome to Faron Woods, Link!" he said happily. With a smile, Link followed him out. But then he stopped.

"What's wrong?" Hakumei asked, his brow furrowing.

"I _told_ you…!" Jikoku said from behind the boy.

"No, no…" Link said, shaking his head, "It's just that… I remembered something." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ocarina that Saria gave him.

"What… is that…?" Jikoku said from behind him. He stood and walked over to the doorway, standing just behind Link and peered over the boy's head at the ocarina.

"Where… where did you get that…?" the man murmured, stepping beside him to get a better look. Slowly reaching toward the ocarina, he said softly, "May I…?"

Link nodded, and placed it into the man's hand. Jikoku's eye seemed to light up as he carefully ran a finger along its cream colored surface, and held it up to eye level. Link noticed a flicker of a smile form on the middle aged man's lips.

"This is a _fairy _ocarina," he declared, "They are rare, in this day and age. How did you manage to come by this?"

"My friend gave it to me," Link said, "Saria. She wanted us to-"

"_Saria?"_ Jikoku said sharply.

"Yes. She's my friend," Link explained, "She gave me that, so we can talk whenever we want to… but I have to play a song she taught me for it to work."

"Can you show me?"

Link paused, and looked from Hakumei, who looked slightly concerned, to Jikoku, who looked almost… eager? The boy bit his lip. Would Saria mind? Knowing her, probably not, he thought. Besides, he wanted to let her know where he was and how he was doing. Then, she could tell his papa, and then he could come for Link… right? It made enough sense to the boy. So, he nodded.

"Sure," Link said, taking the ocarina back and holding it up to his lips. He began to play the song that Saria had taught him. When he was finished, he waited.

"_Link…?"_ a familiar, echoing voice said after a few seconds.

"Saria!" he exclaimed, causing the two men to jump, "Boy, am I glad to hear from you!"

"_Link! It's so good to talk to you again!"_ his friend replied, _"How are you? Where are you? Are you alright?"_

"I'm okay- well, now, anyway," he said.

"_What happened?" _

"I was separated from papa," Link explained.

"_You were?"_ Saria gasped, _"Where are you now?"_

"I'm in a place called Faron Woods."

"_I know where that is… I used to live near there." _

"Great!" Link said, "Then, can you let papa know I'm alright and tell him where I am?"

"_Of course!" _

"…and can you tell him that a couple of nice people rescued me and are looking after me?" he said, "That way, he won't worry so much."

"_I will,"_ Saria said, _"He's not back yet, but I'll let him know as soon as he returns, okay?"_

"Okay," Link said, "He's probably still out looking for me…"

"_Hey," _Saria said, _"What if I told your aunts? Maybe they can at least do something to help you! After all, they're witches, right?"_

"Yeah! Hurry- tell them!"

"_I will,"_ she said, _"Stay safe!" _And with that, her voice was gone. Link turned to Hakumei and Jikoku, of which the latter had stepped outside.

"Saria's going to tell my aunts what's happened. They'll tell my papa where I am," he explained.

"That is good," Hakumei said, "You can stay here in Faron Woods until your father comes." Jikoku stepped forward.

"While I _do_ insist that you take time to rest and heal, there is a place I would like to take you to, " Jikoku said, "It is where there is an elderly woman who can care for you better than either of us are able."

"Who is she?" Link asked.

"Tomorrow, I will show you."

-Sorry it's been so long since I last updated! Hopefully it won't take so long to finish the next chapter and I'll have more time. By the way- Happy Halloween! Also, a note on Hakumei and Jikoku for you: the key to their identities lie within their names…- TwilightFairy928


	10. Missing Link: Tangled Tinsel

Missing Link (Bonus Chapter)

-Tangled Tinsel-

"_Papa! Papa, wake up! It's Christmas!"_ Link shrieked, bouncing up and down on the bed as his father began to stir and groan.

"Link…" the man sighed, forcing one eye open, "I specifically instructed you _not _to wake me before dawn."

"But, look! It _is_ dawn!" the boy insisted, pointing frantically at the faint, barely visible light that could be seen out the one window in the room, "See? Look! _Looooook!" _

"_Yes,_ Link. I have eyes," his father said, "Perhaps you would like to wait until it is light enough to actually _see_ your presents…?"

"Papa. Aunt Koume and Aunt Kotake are witches. I'm sure they can give us some light to see," Link said.

"What if they do not wake easily?"

"I already woke them up a little while ago," he explained, "It took me a while, but they're both up and ready to open presents." Mr. Dragmire sighed. It was worth a try, anyway. Unfortunately for him, the child would not be swayed.

"So, come on! _Get uuuuuuup!"_ Link wailed, grabbing his father's arm and attempting to pull him out of bed- with limited success.

"Why don't you start opening presents without me…?" he suggested. Link pouted.

"No! You said you'd get up as early as _dawn!_ You _said_ you would! You _did!"_ the boy protested. But, he was right. Mr. Dragmire swore under his breath.

"_Papa!"_ Link gasped, "You said we should _never_ say _that!"_

"My apologies…" his father said, "I will come." Link grinned as the man slowly untangled himself from the sheets and slid out of bed. The boy staggered back toward the door and nodded toward a room down the hall.

"C'mon, _c'mon,_ Papa!" Link whined, "You're going way too slow!"

"_Calm down, boy!"_ his father growled, "I am coming. Go on ahead."

"But-"

"_Go!"_

Link pouted and opened his mouth to protest, but, thinking better of it, he sighed and ran down the hall. With a groan, Mr. Dragmire rubbed his face and proceeded to trudge out of his bedroom and down the hall. When he finally reached his family, he found them to be sitting around the rather small tree- at least in comparison to his own size- that Koume and Kotake had enchanted. Small orbs of light shimmered on and around the branches, and one, large, star-like orb danced about at the very top of the tree. While the twin witches sat in chairs nearby, Link sat at the base of the tree, ripping open a present from the two.

"Oh!" Link exclaimed, "It's a wooden _shield!_ _Oooh, _and it has Hyrule's bird emblem on it! Thanks!"

"Try putting it on your arm," Aunt Koume said.

"We made this shield very special!" Aunt Kotake added. Link slid his arm through the strap on the back of the toy.

"Oh, _wow!"_ he said, watching in awe as the toy shield transformed from wood to metal.

"It's magical…" Aunt Koume began.

"…so it's still wooden, it only looks like it's made of metal," Aunt Kotake finished.

"It is an illusion," they said in unison.

"That's… _that's amazing!"_ Link said, "Thank you!"

"Good morning," Mr. Dragmire said, announcing his arrival. They turned.

"Papa! You finally made it!" Link said, a huge grin instantly forming across his face, "Oh, here- this is from Aunt Koume and Aunt Kotake." He grabbed a present from under the tree and handed it to his father.

"Thank you," the man said, settling down on a chair. As Link eagerly grabbed and handed out more presents, Mr. Dragmire began unwrapping his present. He frowned, having difficulty removing the paper.

"I… cannot-" he grunted, but was interrupted by the paper suddenly loosening. Now, it was stuck to his hand. Shocked, he tugged on it until it started to peel off. With such force, it flew off and he accidentally jerked it to his face. He grunted fiercely in protest as the wrapping paper now clung to his face; covering his entire head. In desperation, he tried to pry it off, unable to breathe, but with no luck.

"What's wrong, Pa-" Link began, turning as he noticed the loud grunts his father was making. His eyes widened in fear as he saw the bright red wrapping paper and bow clinging to the man's face; as tightly as if it were a mask.

"_Papa!"_ the boy gasped, coming to his father's aid. He climbed up onto the man's lap and reached up to tear the paper off. From the wrapping paper came a loud, hissing sound as the bow leered at Link.

"Aunt Koume! Aunt Kotake! It _hissed_ at me!" Link cried, falling back.

"I _told_ you we shouldn't have used that cling-wrapping spell!" Aunt Koume barked at her sister, rolling her eyes.

"_You_ told _me?"_ Aunt Kotake shrieked, _"I_ told _you_ that-"

"_Please!"_ Link shouted, "You _have_ to _help_ him!"

"_MMMPH!"_ Mr. Dragmire agreed.

"Yes, alright…" they muttered. Jumping down from their chairs, they began waving their hands about, chanting. The wrapping paper writhed, seemed to wither, fall limp, then drifted gently to the floor.

"Papa! Are you alright?" Link asked, crawling back onto his father's lap. The man gasped for air, then nodded. The child sighed with relief.

"I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried!" he said, sliding his arms gently around his Papa's neck, "I don't want to lose you, especially on _Christmas!_ That would be _awful!"_ Mr. Dragmire put an arm around his son and smiled.

"So!" Aunt Koume said, clearing her throat, "Who wants to open more presents?"

"Yes, there are plenty more under the tree!" Aunt Kotake added. Mr. Dragmire and Link stared.

"Presents!" Link shrieked happily, bouncing off of his father's lap, clearly over what had just happened. Mr. Dragmire sighed and shook his head.

"See, here," Aunt Koume said, handing the boy a present, "This one is from your Papa." Link immediately tore through the paper and jerked the box open. He frowned, slightly, as he lifted the gift out of the box.

"It's a stuffed moblin," he said flatly, noticing that the eyes of the toy were looking in opposite directions.

"I thought you liked that kind of thing," Mr. Dragmire said, "You liked the toy Kargaroc I gave you last year."

"Well, I… yes," Link admitted, turning the little moblin this way and that, "erm, well… thanks." His father nodded. Once several more presents were opened, Link crawled behind the tree and gently picked something up. He stood up, careful to hide the thing behind his back, and with a smile, turned toward his father. His smile quickly faded at the sound of a snore.

"Papa!" he shouted, seeing the man asleep in the chair. Link placed the present he was about to give him beside the chair as he climbed onto his father's lap again.

"C'mon, Papa!" Link pleaded, shaking him. He pouted and crossed his arms when the man did not wake.

"If you don't wake up, I'll… I'm going to decorate you just like the Christmas tree!" the child threatened. Still no response.

"Fine."

Link, glancing over at his aunts- who only smiled at the idea- leaned over and grabbed some red ribbon off of the floor and tied it on his Papa's long nose. He snatched up some more and tied the man's long black hair up in bows. Jumping down, he grabbed some of the tinsel off of the tree and draped it all over his father. He looked around for something else.

"Here, dear, use this," Aunt Kotake said, handing him a string of their magic lights. Link grinned and wrapped lights all around the chair. Soon, Mr. Dragmire was a living, shining Christmas decoration, lights blinking all around him. Still, he remained asleep, completely unaware of the mischief his family was causing.

"Papa!" Link called, bouncing on his heels, his hands innocently folded behind his back. This time, the man awoke with a groan. He tried to stretch, but found himself tangled up in a strange mess.

"What-" he began, but glared accusingly at his son, "Link, did you do this?" Link bit his lip, trying to hold back a grin, and nodded.

"Why have you tied me up like this?" his father asked, crossing his eyes to see the ribbon tied to his nose. He wrinkled his nose to try to wriggle it off.

"You wouldn't wake up, and it's _Christmas,"_ Link said, but, after a warning glare from the man, he added, "…a-and I have something for you." Mr. Dragmire raised an eyebrow, unable to raise anything else. Link bent down and picked up the item he had left beside the chair.

"My medicine," his father guessed. With a nod, Link handed it to him as Koume and Kotake magically removed all of the mess, leaving the man free to move again. Taking the glass bottle, Mr. Dragmire popped the lid open and sipped a bit of its contents.

"…this is not my medicine," he said, after a pause.

"No, it really is!" Link said, "I just… I asked Aunt Kotake if she knew how to add a good flavor to it, because I know you don't like how that blue potion tastes, even though you have to take it everyday. Anyway, she did, and Aunt Koume told me that she knew where to find some mint. There wasn't much, but… there was just enough for you to have some good tasting blue potion for today and tomorrow. It's… it's my Christmas present for you." Mr. Dragmire smiled.

"Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Link said, grinning, "Merry Christmas, Papa."

"Merry Christmas, Link."

-Merry Christmas, everyone! I've been up since about 4:00 A.M., unable to go back to sleep, so, I wanted to go ahead and post this. I planned to do that, anyway. After all, this story begins when Link (he's about 9 and a half years old, here) wakes up Ganondorf at about, I imagined, 6:00, give or take. I decided on that time, because I'm never allowed to wake anyone else up in my house before 6:00 on Christmas, which is driving me nuts this morning, because, well… Link's reaction at the beginning of the chapter is based on how I react every Christmas morning.

Anyway, I want to give a friend of mine some credit for several ideas for this bonus chapter. They include: the chapter title, "Tangled Tinsel", the idea of Ganondorf falling asleep, Link decorating him because of it, and Koume and Kotake's magic cling-wrap wrapping paper.

Also, one last note, well, two, really- because I know this a rather long author's note- every bonus chapter in this story will be called a "Missing Link", so when you see that in the chapter title, you'll know that the chapter doesn't take place directly in the storyline. But, the other thing is that I'm about half way, or little more, done with the next chapter. It's sort of a filler, but after that it should be more exciting.- TwilightFairy928


	11. I Promise

**Chapter 10 **

**-"I Promise"- **

"Wake up. Wake up, little one!"

Link groaned and buried his face into the pillow. A firm hand shook him gently, forcing him into wakefulness. The boy looked indignantly up into the smiling face of Hakumei.

"Wha' ish i'…? Link mumbled sleepily, "Somefin' wro'…?" The young man laughed.

"No, nothing's wrong," he said, "But you need to get up. We're going to take you to that kind old woman that we told you about."

"Really…?" the boy said, pushing himself up into a sitting position, "What's she like?"

"You'll see."

"Oh," Link said with a small frown. Hakumei turned, grabbed something off of the nearby table, and placed it on the bed. It was clothes.

"Put these on," the young man directed, "They're clean, and you can ask the lady if she will be so kind as to wash the clothes you're wearing for you. I'm sure she will."

"Thank you," Link said. A thought suddenly coming to him, he added, "That nice old lady won't mind me coming all of a sudden, will she?"

"No," Hakumei replied, shaking his head, "She's usually fairly lonely, living all on her own. I'm sure she'll enjoy some company."

"Do you know her very well?" the boy asked.

"A bit, only," he said, shrugging, his expression becoming unreadable, "Now, get dressed. The sooner you've changed, the sooner you can meet her. Alright?" Link nodded. With a smile, Hakumei turned and walked to the door. He opened it, stepped outside, and closed it behind him with a soft _click. _

Link pushed the blankets aside and slid out of bed. He glanced around the room to see that he was alone. Apparently, Jikoku was out as well. It was just as well, Link decided, as he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of changing clothes in front of them. He looked down at the tunic he was wearing. It was red; one of the tunics his father had brought back for him from Hyrule Castle Town several months before. Truth be told, he much preferred green, as it was his favorite color, but his father never bought clothes for him of that color. Really, as Link had noticed, his father didn't seem to like the color green at all. The child wondered why that could be. Perhaps it was simply that the man didn't like the color, and that was that, he thought.

In thinking about his father, _his Papa,_ Link caught his eyes beginning to swell with tears and swallowed; pulling his tunic up to wipe the salty liquid away as quickly as he could. Link mentally scolded himself. What would Papa say, finding that his ten year old son was crying over his absence, like this? No. He would do his best to stay strong until they were reunited.

Link then proceeded to pull the tunic up and off, sliding his head and arms out. He then pulled the shorts he wore underneath it off and, after unceremoniously dumping his old, dirty clothes on the floor, he grabbed up and examined the clothes Hakumei had given him. It was a cream colored shirt with various designs decorating the front with matching pants and a few other pieces of cloth that Link wasn't entirely sure what to do with. He quickly pulled on the pants, and the shirt, he realized, was a bit too big for him, but it was comfortable and for that he was grateful.

Grabbing up the rest of the clothes, Link bolted for the door. He opened it and stepped outside. Closing the door behind him, he stepped onto the plush grass, remembering that his feet were still bare. Link sighed, curling his toes and grinning. It was beautiful here, he thought, and almost wished he could stay here forever; that he and his father and aunts could live here. He sighed at the wonderful thought, but then turned his attention back to the present situation.

"Hakumei?" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth, "Heellloooo! Where are you? Haku-" Link gasped and stumbled forward as a hand softly landed on his shoulder. He spun around to see Hakumei, standing there, looking rather shocked.

"I'm very sorry; I didn't mean to startle you," the young man apologized, "Is everything alright?"

"Uh… y-yeah. Yes sir, I mean. I-it is. I'm okay," Link stammered. Tilting his head to one side, Hakumei said, "Are you sure?"

"I'm okay, really. I was just… looking for you. Where were you? I didn't even _hear_ you coming up behind me!" Link said.

"Well…when you live out in a place like this, you have to learn to be very quiet. To hunt, you know," he explained.

"Oh, I get it," the boy said with a nod, "So you won't scare away the animals, right? And I guess you're so used to doing that, that you just did that because you have to do that all the time, right?"

"Yes," Hakumei said. He pointed down to the clothes in Link's arms, and said, "Do you need help putting those on?"

"Oh, yes! I do. Thank you," Link said, handing them to his friend. Unfolding a couple pieces of the cloth, Hakumei began wrapping them, one at a time, around the boy's waist. He then pulled out a strip of cloth, tying it all in place. Link frowned.

"Why do I have to where all this?" he asked.

"It is traditional Ordon clothing," Hakumei explained, "You see, that's where we are going. The kind old lady we told you about lives in a tree house, just on the outskirts of Ordon Village."

"She lives in a _tree house?"_ Link gasped, "Really?"

"Yes," he said, "It is a _very old _tree house."

"Have you been in there before?" Link asked excitedly.

"Yes, I have," he admitted.

"What is it like?"

"You will see," Hakumei laughed.

"What is the nice old lady's name…?" Link asked.

"Ms. … Ilia."

"Ms. Ilia…" he repeated, nodding slowly.

"Yes," Hakumei said, "Now, come with me." The young man extended a hand toward Link, to which the boy nearly grabbed it, and stopped.

"Wait," Link said.

"What's wrong?" his friend asked.

"The sword," he answered, "my Papa's sword. I left it inside. I'll go get it."

"But, wait!" Hakumei called as Link began to walk back inside, "Perhaps we should keep the sword with us? You don't want to frighten Ms. Ilia by carrying a weapon into her home, now do you?"

"Well… no…" Link admitted, "But I can't just leave it here. I have to get it back to Papa."

"…very well," the young man said, "But, what say I carry it? It _is_ a rather heavy thing for you to be carrying around, don't you think?" Link frowned, considering this option.

"Okay," he said, "But you have to let me have it tonight, so I can get it to my Papa, alright?"

"Alright."

"You promise?" the boy said, raising an eyebrow. Hakumei bit his lip, then smiled.

"I promise."

-That's right! Link hasn't been wearing the green tunic at all through the story- thus far. It reminds Ganondorf too much of the past heroes. This chapter, actually, is supposed to be much, much longer, but it ended up _so_ long, that I've decided to split it up. The next chapter (or part 2 of what was just going to be chapter 10, anyway) is finished, but rest of what was chapter 10 is still in progress… if the way I wrote that makes any sense- that even sounds a bit confusing to me. Anyway, I'll try to finish the chapter after the next one soon. I'm ready to get to the real adventure part of the story. How about you?- TwilightFairy928


	12. Ordon

**Chapter 11 **

**-Ordon-**

A knock, followed by a few more. No answer. Another few knocks. Again, nothing.

"I do not believe she is home," Jikokou said, who had joined Hakumei and Link on the way to the elderly Ms. Ilia's house. Jikoku had been the one to knock on the door as Hakumei, Link observed, had been curiously unwilling to do so.

"So… what now?" Link asked, glancing around as if the old woman would suddenly appear.

"I would suggest asking around the village," Jikoku said.

"Ordon Village," Hakumei added, "Just down that way." He pointed to a dirt path leading onward.

"Aren't you coming with me?" Link said, tilting his head to one side and frowning.

"You will not need our help. See?" the young man replied, again pointing at the path, "Here comes someone now." Link turned to see an elderly man walking down the path.

"Oh!" Link said, "Maybe he can help-" He gasped- they had vanished. The boy spun around on the spot, wondering where the two men had gone; forgetting the old man for a moment.

"Hello, there!"

Link jumped and spun around. Seeing the man, he stuttered, thinking for a response.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" the man asked, "Are you lost, child?"

"I-" he began, "Well… I'm looking for someone."

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"Do you know a _'Ms. Ilia'?"_ Link asked.

"Ah, yes!" the old man said, grinning, "I know her quite well! I believe that she's visiting her daughter at the ranch. That's not very far from here, but would you like me to guide you there, young sir?"

"Yes, please," he said, nodding. With a returning nod, the man turned and began to walk along the path to the village, Link trotting along beside him.

"You know," the man said, after a few moments, "I've never seen you before, lad, but I see that you are wearing the traditional garb of Ordon. Where are you from, and what is your name? Where is your family?"

"Oh, I'm Link!" the boy introduced himself, "And I live at Lake Hylia, with my Papa and my two great-aunts."

"Is that so?" he said, "Why are you so far away from home? Are your Papa or aunts nearby?"

"No…" Link replied, staring down at the dirt as he walked, "I went to Hyrule Castle Town with Papa- that was pretty fun, because I'd never been away from home, before- but on the way back, we were attacked! We were separated… I need to get back home, though, 'cause my family's probably really worried about me."

"I believe I can help you with that," the old man said, "After all, I _am_ the mayor of Ordon!"

"You are?"

"Yes, I am!" he said, "I am Mayor Colin. Now, why is it that you want to see Ms. Ilia, specifically?"

"Hakumei and Jikoku told me that I might could stay with her," Link explained, "Until my Papa can come and take me home, that is." Mayor Colin frowned.

"I've never heard of them, before. Where do they live?" he said.

"In the woods, in a tree house. It's not really that far from here," Link said, "You didn't see them when you walked up to where we were?"

"I only saw you," he answered, "And perhaps you mean the old house in Faron Woods? But… that house has been abandoned for decades…" Link absently nodded, not really hearing what the old man was saying, as he was drawing in the sights of the village.

"We are almost to the ranch," Mayor Colin said, indicating a wooden gate up ahead.

"'Ranch'?" the boy repeated. He had never seen a ranch, before.

"It is where we raise our goats and horses," the man explained.

"Oh," Link said with a slow nod, trying to understand, "My Papa has a horse. His name is Noctis, but he's a real snob. Er, please don't tell him I said that…"

"Your Papa?" Mayor Colin said.

"No. Noctis."

The old mayor raised an eyebrow as they walked into the ranch. He shook his head.

"See there?" Mayor Colin said, pointing, "That, there, is the barn. Ms. Ilia is probably in there.

"Okay," Link said with a quick nod. He burst into a run.

"Wait, now!" the man called, "Wait for me, boy!" Link slowed as the mayor hurried up beside him, panting.

"I don't…" the old man gasped, "…have as much energy as I used to."

"Oh. Sorry," Link said.

"That's… that's alright," he replied, "Now. They're probably just in here," he cupped his hands around his mouth, "Hello? Anybody in there?"

"I'm here, stop your yelling!" a rough, feminine voice answered. A middle-aged woman stepped out of the barn, hands on her hips.

"Ah! Hello, Mayor!" she greeted him, then, looking down at Link, said, "And who's this handsome little fellow?"

"This is Link," Mayor Colin said, to which Link waved. "He's looking for Ms. Ilia. Would she happen to be with you?"

"Yes, she is! Good timing on your part- she just about to leave," the woman said, then called back into the barn, _"Mother!_ Someone's here to see you!" A little old lady walked out of the barn, squinting in the sunlight to see them.

"Ah!" she sighed happily, "Colin! It's nice to see you again."

"Hello, Ilia," the mayor replied with a warm smile, "I have someone to see you."

"Oh?"

"This boy," he explained, "has been separated from his father. Apparently, someone he met told him to come to you until he can be returned home." As the old woman looked down at the child, her smile faded and her eyes became huge.

"_Link…?"_ she gasped. Link stared. How could she know his name? He'd never met her before.

"Yes," Mayor Colin said, "His name is Link. But he is _not_ the Link that you, or any of us, remember. But… the lad _does_ resemble _him,_ doesn't he?"

"Yes, he… he really does…" Ms. Ilia said softly.

"Do you believe, then, that he could stay with during the time it will take to contact his father, and until the child can be returned to his home?" the mayor asked, "I wish I could take the boy there, myself, but I have things to attend to… and he will need a place to sleep at night. I do hope I'm not asking too much of you…"

"Not at all," Ms. Ilia quickly replied, "I have plenty of things he can help me with around my house."

"And I can help make sure this kid stays out of trouble," the younger of the women said, with a smile and a wink to Link, "by the way, my name is Midna. I run the ranch."

"Really?" Link said, "That sounds like fun, taking care of all the animals!"

"It is!" Midna laughed, "Hey, do you want to meet someone special?"

"Yeah! Er, yes ma'am," he said.

"Come in here," she said, directing him into the barn. Walking into the building, Link's eyes widened as he passed by the animals. Goats with large, round horns, and horses of all sizes and colors.

"Now," Midna said, "There is a foal- a very, very young horse- that was born only about a week ago. She's just in here, with her mother." She stopped at one of the last stalls, and Link peered over the wooden door. A chestnut-colored foal with a white mane and tail lay down next to its mother.

"Her name is Epona," Midna said, "The little one, I mean."

"Wow…" Link whispered, "The only actual horse I've ever seen is my Papa's horse, and he's big. She's so tiny and pretty…"

"She sure is," the woman said softly, "So, I guess you should go with my mother, now, eh? But, if you want to come back…"

"Oh, yes, please!" Link said, nodding.

"Alright, then! Let's go."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link looked around the room: a table, some chairs, a ladder leading up to a loft, a bed, some shelves, various decorations along the walls, a sink, and a fireplace in which something that smelled quite delicious was cooking over the fire. The walls, ceiling and floors, he noticed were made entirely of wood; there were even some holes in which he could see outside, where branches protruded everywhere. This was definitely a tree house, he thought. Ms. Ilia walked ahead of him and over to the fireplace. She picked up a wooden spoon that was resting on the table, stirred the contents of the pot, dipped some out, blew on it, and then sipped.

"I'd say the pumpkin soup is just about ready," she said, "Are you hungry?"

"Oh, yes ma'am!" Link said.

"Alright, then, will you set the table?" she asked, "The bowls, napkins, spoons and cups are in here." Link hurried and opened the cabinet she showed him, pulling out two of each of what he was asked. He quickly laid them out on the table in the way his great-aunts had taught him.

"Now, give me your bowl, please," Ms. Ilia said. Link grabbed up both bowls, handing her one. She scooped up a few spoonfuls of the soup and filled them, them placed the bowls back on the table. As she took the cups and filled them with water, Link sat down.

"Ah, is there anything else you need me to do?" he asked.

"No, dear, just stay there, thank you," she said, placing the cups down on the table. She sat down across from him and smiled.

"Uh… can I, er, _may_ I start eating now?" Link asked.

"Yes," she said. He eagerly grabbed up his spoon and slurped up some soup. He nearly spat it out- it was so hot!

"Careful, now! Blow on it, first," Ms. Ilia laughed, "Drink some of that water." Link snatched the cup up and gulped some of the water down, feeling the pain of the burn ease.

"There, that's better, now, isn't it?" she said, "How is it?"

"Very good, thank you," he said. After a moment, he said, "Hey, um… when do you think my Papa will get here?"

"Well," she said, pursing her lips in thought, "Mayor Colin has sent someone from the village to contact him. It takes about half a day to get there from here, and if your father leaves right away, which I'm sure he will, dear, then perhaps he will be here in a day or two. Knowing that you're safe, maybe they'll stay somewhere for the night. But don't worry, it shouldn't take them any longer than that."

"Okay…" Link sighed, absent mindedly stirring the soup around.

"You know," she said, attempting to take his mind off the subject, "You remind me very much of my husband."

"What happened to him?" he asked.

"A little over a decade ago, he became ill, very suddenly, and… well… he passed away," Ms. Ilia said, "That was a very sad time for me, our children, the Ordon villagers, and many others who knew him. You see, not only was he the previous mayor of Ordon, he was also known as the 'Hero of Twilight'. A long time ago, he saved Hyrule from a terrible man named-"

"Ganondorf," Link finished, "I've heard of him. But, your husband really was the hero?"

"Yes," she replied, pride filling her wrinkled features, "After his adventure, he returned to Ordon. After a few years, we were married, and had three children. Two of them have left- my youngest daughter and my son- to live in other places in Hyrule, but my eldest child, whom you've met, Midna, stays here. She lives at the ranch with her husband. He was the one sent to find your father. You know, I must say, you look very much like her son, Raven."

"Do you mean Sir Raven, at Hyrule Castle Town?" Link exclaimed.

"Yes!" she said, "He is a knight. Have you met him?"

"Yeah, I did! Me an' my Papa went to Hyrule Castle Town for a few days," he explained, "Sir Raven helped me out when I got lost in the crowd."

"Ah, yes, he would have certainly helped you in that situation," she said, smiling knowingly, "He was always a good, honest, helpful boy. He and his wife had a son who be about your age now. Unfortunately-"

"He was kidnapped. Right?" Link said, "Sir Raven told us. That's really sad."

"…yes," she sighed, "They were going to come and visit us, here, but that poor little thing was taken away before they could. However, I believe he's still out there, somewhere. And, do you know what? I think I can guess what he looks like, now."

"How?" the boy asked, leaning in.

"I think he would have blond hair and blue eyes, like his father," she said, staring at Link, "and I think that he would be brave and kind and adventurous like, not only his father, but his great-grandfather, the hero, as well."

"Really? I hope you find him one day. I'd like to meet him," Link said, "So… do you know what his name was?"

"I do," she said.

"What?"

"It was- no, it _is- Link"_

-Well, technically, this is part 2 of what was originally just going to be chapter 10. Part 3- or chapter 12- of it will be next, _then_ things should get a bit more exciting. I can't believe it's taking this many chapters just to set up Link's adventure! Link doesn't even have the green tunic and pointy hat, yet! But, no worries, he will, by the next few chapters. This is definitely going to be the longest fan fiction I've written, yet, by the time I'm done with it.- TwilightFairy928


	13. Fairytales

**Chapter 12 **

**-Fairytales- **

Link sighed as he laid back on the soft mat and pillows that Ms. Ilia had given him. He had carried them up himself, as the elderly woman had difficulty climbing the old ladders. After taking a bath- Ms. Ilia insisted on it- and changing into a clean shirt that had once been belonged to the woman's husband, Link had climbed up to his makeshift bed for the night. He had been pleased to see that there was a small window, where he could see the stars.

"They look… the same," Link whispered. He recalled a time when his father had taken him outside and up the watchtower beside their home. Mr. Dragmire had shown him several constellations, mentioning one in particular.

"'The Great…' um…" he thought hard, "something about a triangle… 'The Great Triangle'? No, that's stupid… it's… it was…" He bit his lip as he sat up and leaned against the window, sticking his head out to better see the sky. He scanned the stars, trying to remember. Then suddenly, as he found the constellation, it came to him.

"The Great _Triforce!"_ he almost shouted, but catching himself just in time, _"That's_ what Papa called it! I wonder… what a 'triforce' is… maybe it's just some old word for triangle. Papa'll know. I'll ask him when he gets here."

"It is a great force that can grant any wish."

Link gasped and spun around. He relaxed when he recognized the face of the man who appeared at the top of the ladder.

"Jikoku," he breathed a sigh of relief, "You scared me! When did you come in? Did you come to visit Ms. Ilia and see me? Because, I'm doing okay. But… I was just going to get to sleep, 'cause it's kinda late-"

"It is rather difficult to fall asleep when leaning out of a window, don't you think?" Jikoku commented, to which Link blushed, "And I _have_ come to check on you. I can see that you are doing well."

"I- yes," Link said, "Ms. Ilia is really nice."

"Now, I suppose you may still want to hear about the triforce?" he offered.

"Oh, yes!" the boy said, "My Papa said that one of the conste… constellalala… con… uh… star-patterns is called 'The Great Triforce'. Why?"

"The triforce," Jikoku explained, "is, as I have said, a great force that will grant mortals any _one_ wish. It is three golden triangles given to us by the goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore, long, long ago. It is rare for any mortal, alone, to possess what will lead the land into a golden age of peace: power, wisdom and courage. These three represent each goddess, and each piece of the triforce, you see. However, if one with a corrupted heart, or one who has not all of these attributes finds it, the triforce will then split three ways, leaving one piece to the person who found it; the piece that reflects them the most, and the other two will find who they decide to be worthy. Do you understand?"

"I think so," Link said, "So, I guess the stars make a pattern that looks like the triforce, huh?"

"Yes," Jikoku said.

"Do you know any stories about somebody who found the triforce?" the boy asked, hugging his knees and staring at the man pleadingly.

"I do," he said.

"Can you tell me?"

"Earlier, I believe you claimed that you were trying to sleep? Jikoku reminded him, "Unless, of course, you were _lying_ to me… which I certainly do _not_ approve of. Perhaps, then, I should _not_ tell you a story…?"

"I- no! I mean…" Link stuttered, feeling his face grow hot again, "I'm sorry, really! I just… see, Papa usually tells me stories at night. So, I was hoping that maybe… you could…"

"I see," he said, "I suppose I could tell you a story or two, _if_ you will behave." Link thought he caught a flicker of a smile from the man.

"I will, honest!" the boy insisted.

"Very well," he said, "I know a story about a boy, about your age, who saved Hyrule a long time ago. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes, please!"

"Well, then…" Jikoku began, "Several hundred years ago, there was a tribe deep within the forest known as the 'Kokiri'. All those in the tribe were children who never grew up."

"_Never?"_ Link gasped.

"Never," Jikoku said, "And, every Kokiri child had a fairy as their personal guardian and friend… except one. This boy waited and waited, but no fairy came to him. However, a time came when he began having nightmares- terrible nightmares that, little did he know, prophesized the future."

"What does that mean?" Link asked, "'Prophe… something?"

"It means that the boy's dreams showed him things that would happen in the future," he explained, "Now, during this time, the leader of the Kokiri, the Great Deku Tree-"

"'Tree'?" Link said, "Was he an _actual_ tree?"

"Yes, he was," he said.

"This story's really weird," Link said, frowning.

"Do you wish for me to stop?"

"No."

"Very well, then," Jikoku said, "The Great Deku Tree, having been approached by a terrible, wicked man, was cursed. The evil man who came to him, a sorcerer-king, was enraged when the Great Deku Tree would not give him the thing he wanted, known as the Kokiri Emerald, so he placed a beast known as Gohma inside the tree. Now, the Great Deku Tree knew that the boy without a fairy was special and sent a fairy named Navi to fetch him. She obeyed, bringing the boy to him. This young boy entered the Great Deku Tree and defeated Gohma, but it was too late, for the Great Deku Tree died. However, not before telling the boy to find the princess of Hyrule, for she would know how to aid him in his quest to stop the terrible sorcerer. The boy traveled there and found, from the princess, that he needed to find two more stones- known as Spiritual Stones. First, he traveled to Death Mountain to retrieve the Goron Ruby. Then, he continued to Lake Hylia to-"

"_I_ live at Lake Hylia!" Link exclaimed, "that boy went to _Lake Hylia?"_

"Yes, he did," Jikoku said, "He was given the Zora Sapphire by the Zora princess, Ruto," he winced as he mentioned the princess.

"Was there something wrong with her?" Link asked.

"Ah, I-" Jikoku stuttered, "Never mind that. Once he had gather all of the Spiritual Stones, the boy returned to see the Hyrulian princess. When he reached the gates of Hyrule Castle Town- _yes,_ I _know_ you've been there as well- the boy jumped out of the way only just in time as the princess, along with her bodyguard, rode by on a white horse. In desperation, the princess threw something back, and the object landed in the castle moat. Another soon rode by, stopping at the sight of the boy. _It was the sorcerer._ He demanded that the child tell him which way the princess had gone. When the boy refused to tell him, the sorcerer knocked him back with his magic and rode away. Remembering what the princess had thrown, the boy dove into the moat and pulled out a sacred flute known as the 'Ocarina of Time'. The princess had many special powers, and was able to tell the boy through his mind what he was to do. He did as he was told and hurried to what was known as the Temple of Time. There, he played a song, and a great door within the temple opened, leading to a chamber which held a sword that could destroy the evil sorcerer, the Master Sword."

"My Papa has a sword. The one you saw?" Link interrupted, "But he doesn't like it when I mess with it. I get in a _lot_ of trouble if I ever touch it. I really haven't seen many swords," he added chattily, "but I like the way the look. I wish I could learn how to use a sword, but I know that Papa'll never let me."

"May I continue?" Jikoku asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sorry!" Link said, "I want to hear the rest."

"Where was I? Oh yes," he said, "When the boy pulled the sword from the pedestal, light appeared all around him. The sorcerer, he discovered, had followed him into the temple and used him to find the Sacred Realm, which housed the triforce. Now, as I have said, when one does not have what it takes to handle the entire triforce, it splits into three parts and finds two other individuals who have the qualities of, in this case, wisdom and courage. It found that in the princess and the boy. The boy, in truth, had become a man, he found, in what to him seemed like only a few moments. He soon found that seven years had passed- pulling the Master Sword from its pedestal had sent him into the future. He was told of his next task: to find the ones called the 'sages'. He would find them, he was told, in the forest, the mountains, deep within the lake, in a frightening graveyard and in a vast desert. He awakened all of the sages, with the help of his fairy and a young man he had met. Upon returning to the Temple of Time, the hero discovered that the young man was, in fact, the princess in disguise. Unfortunately, so did the evil sorcerer. The young hero found himself useless as the villain imprisoned the princess in a magical crystal-like prison."

"So… what did he do?" Link asked, hugging his knees tighter.

"He came to the sorcerer's castle and battled his way through many monsters, traps, and puzzles. Eventually, with the help of the sages, he reached the top of the great, black tower and, finding the sorcerer, fought him for the freedom of the princess and all of Hyrule," Jikoku said, "he defeated the evil sorcerer, but that terrible man, with his dying breath, caused the entire castle to collapse."

"But… what about the hero and the princess? And the fairy, too!" Link gasped, "Did they die? Or… did they get out okay?"

"They managed to escape, just in time," he replied, to which Link sighed with relief. Jikoku allowed a small smile at how deeply the boy was getting into his story.

"They thought all was well, when suddenly…" he paused for dramatic effect, "…the sorcerer appeared! He was alive; with the power of the triforce, he transformed himself into a monster! And, when the creature knocked the Master Sword from his hands, the young hero was forced to fight him with only one other weapon: the Light Arrows. He shot the monster until the thing was weakened and the hero was able to retrieve the Master Sword. With it, the princess and the sages' help, he was able to send the evil sorcerer to the Sacred Realm, where that terrible man was sealed away. The princess, as it was, had to return the hero back to his own time. And so, she played the Ocarina of Time, and the hero was once again a child. His fairy, unfortunately, felt that it was time for her to go. Though he was sad, he had knowledge of the sorcerer's plans, and so, once the king was warned, the sorcerer was stopped before he could have Hyrule in his grasp."

"What happened to him?" Link asked.

"The sorcerer?" Jikoku said, "He was sentenced to execution."

"'Execution'? What's that?" the boy said.

"It means that he was to die for betraying the king and Hyrule," he explained, but, noticing Link bow his head, asked, "What is wrong?"

"Well…" Link said, "I know that what he did was wrong, but… it seems kind of sad that they had to _kill_ him…"

"You are a very kindhearted lad," Jikoku commented, ruffling the boy's blond hair, "But, the law is the law, and they certainly would not want such a powerful sorcerer on the loose, now would they?"

"I guess not," Link reasoned, "So… what happened to the hero, after that?"

"No one truly knows for sure, but he wandered into the Lost Woods, searching for his lost friend, the fairy," he said.

"Did he ever find her?" the boy said.

"No…" Jikoku said, shaking his head, "I do know that he did not. For as long as he searched, he never found her again."

"That's really sad…" Link sighed, resting his chin on his knees.

"Yes, it is," he said.

"Hey, you know what?" the child said, sitting up straight.

"What?"

"You remind me of my Papa, a little bit."

"Really?" Jikoku said, not expecting this, "How so?"

"The way you talk, the way you act…" Link explained, "It's not anything big, you just… remind me of him, for some reason. He tells me some _really_ good stories!" The man raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of stories?" he asked.

"Usually, he tells me stories about a desert prince," Link said.

"Desert prince?" Jikoku repeated, narrowing his eyes, "Tell me, Link, who is your Papa? What is his name?"

"His name's Siegfried," the boy said, grinning, "Siegfried Dragmire. Why?" Link watched as Jikoku stared at the floor, his brow creased tightly, as he was deep in thought for a few moments.

"What's wrong?" Link asked, frowning.

"…nothing, nothing for you to worry about," he said, quickly, "I believe it is time for bed. Now get to sleep."

"Aw…!" Link whined, "Not even _one_ more story? I liked your fairytale!" The man froze.

"A 'fairytale', you say? Are you sure?" he said mysteriously. In a flash, he hurried down the ladder and out of sight. The child sighed.

"Goodnight," he whispered. Though still confused, Link lay down and closed his eyes, dreaming of himself in the hero's place, off to rescue a princess he imagined to Princess Zelda, whom he'd met in Hyrule Castle Town, from an evil wizard; even imagining his Papa coming to help him…

-Whew! I finally finished this, working when I could on it in just one day, but here it is! The last part of what was going to be _just_ chapter 10. Chapter 10 was originally going to be called 'Fairytales', if it had all been combined, actually. Anyway, next up, the adventure begins! By the way, want to know what Link and Ganondorf (in disguise) look like in this story? Check out my profile- I've posted a link (no pun intended) to pictures I've drawn of them! Also! I know I've mentioned this before, but I really, _really_ do appreciate all of your reviews. They are very encouraging to me, so, thanks _so_ much!- TwilightFairy928


	14. Not Of Your World

**Chapter 13 **

**-Not Of Your World- **

"Link…awaken. Open your eyes, now."

Link groaned at hearing the voice, but it sounded familiar. Curious and sensing a feeling of hope bubbling up inside him, he rolled over to better see the visitor.

"Papa…?" he said sleepily. He rubbed his eyes and within a few moments, his vision cleared.

"Oh," Link sighed, seeing who the voice really belonged to, "Jikoku. Good morning."

"Good morning," Jikoku returned the greeting, "I am sorry to disappoint you."

"No!" Link exclaimed, realizing how he must have sounded, "Oh, no, I didn't mean… it's not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but I was just hoping to see-"

"…your father," the man finished, "I understand completely."

"Oh," the boy sighed with relief, "That's good. So, um, about how long do you think it'll be until my Papa gets here?"

"Not long, I believe," he said, staring evenly at Link, "However, before you depart, there is something that… Hakumei… and I would like to show you. Something very important."

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Get dressed, then take up your sword and follow us," he said.

"But I thought you two still have Papa's sword," Link said.

"Look, just there."

The boy turned to look in the direction that Jikoku pointed. He gasped to see his father's rusty old sword lying just next to him. He softly and carefully wrapped his hand around the hilt.

"We have returned the sword to you, as promised," Jikoku said, "Now come. Follow us."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"…but what about Ms. Ilia?" Link asked, stumbling after the two men as he finished pulling on a boot.

"She will be fine," Jikoku answered.

"Yes, she will figure out where you've gone and she will understand," Hakumei added.

"So…" Link said, jogging in order to keep up, "Where are we going?"

"You will see," Hakumei said, "and then, when we arrive, I'll return this to you." He pointed to the sword that rested in an old hilt on his back.

"Are… are you sure you don't want _me_ to carry it…?" the boy asked hesitantly.

"Positive!" the young man laughed, "Believe me, you do _not_ want to be carrying this all the way to our destination. But I promise you, when we get there, I _will_ return it to you."

"…okay," Link said softly, "but… I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Where did you get these clothes for me? How old are they? They smell funny- kinda musty. Where are my clothes?" he burst.

"That is _several_ questions…" Jikoku corrected with a sigh. Again, Hakumei laughed.

"That's fine," the young man said, "Those are indeed very old. However, they are special."

"How so?" Link asked.

"Those clothes once belonged to the Hero of Twilight," Jikoku said.

"_The_ Hero of Twilight?" the child gasped, "No wonder it's so big on me! I bet he was a lot older than me when he wore these! But… why do you want _me_ to wear this?" The two men exchanged glances.

"Link," Hakumei said, "I think it's time we explained a few things to you."

"Ah, but only once we cross this chasm," Jikoku said, pointing out down to a deep, seemingly endless pit. Link nervously glanced down.

"That's really, really deep…" he said, swallowing nervously.

"Come here," Hakumei said gently, picking him up, "Now, close your eyes and just talk to me. Before you know it, we will be on the other side. Are you ready?" Link snapped his eyes shut and held on tight to the man.

"You know," the child said after a few moments, "How far have we gone? It seems like we got really deep into the woods and it didn't seem to take long at all! Why?"

"There. Now, open your eyes," Hakumei said, ignoring the question. Link carefully and slowly opened his eyes as the young man gently placed him back down. Curious, the boy glanced back to see where they had just come. He was shocked to see that everything looked quite different, though they were clearly still in the forest.

"H-how did you-"

"We can explain later," Jikoku interrupted, "But, at this moment, we have more pressing matters at hand."

"Uh, what?"

"He means that we have more important things to tell you right now," Hakumei said.

"Oh, that's good. I think," Link said, "Because I… I really don't understand what's going on."

"I know," Hakumei said, ruffling the boy's hair.

"But _do_ follow us as we explain," Jikoku said, "and follow us very closely. For if you become lost in these woods…"

"What'll happen?" Link pressed.

"…you may never see your 'Papa' again," the man said ominously.

"But we don't want that to happen," Hakumei quickly added, noticing the expression of horror on Link's face, "You see, this is the Lost Woods. It is very easy to become confused here. One generally has to know exactly where one is going to make it through here, and at times even those who are the most familiar with these woods become lost. So, here. Hold onto my hand." Link hesitantly slid his own rather small hand into his friend's. The young man smiled encouragingly and began pulling the child along, with Jikoku leading the way.

"I don't know if I really _want_ to go…" Link said softly, "I… I just want to go back to my Papa…"

"I'm sorry, Link," Hakumei said, "But, please… it is very important that we show you this."

"Okay…"

"Now…" the young man sighed, "What we need to tell you… how should I begin?"

"We are not quite of your world," Jikoku said, glancing back.

"What do you mean?" Link asked, narrowing his eyes.

"We are and we are also not of this world," the older man replied, "We once were more, but now we are like… memories, in a sense."

"W-what?" Link said, "I don't get it."

"Link," Hakumei sighed, as they entered a clearing filled with ruins, "We are ghosts."

-Argh! I had to break up a long chapter again. It seemed like a better stopping point. But, finally! I'm done with school! Well, at least for the summer, anyway. I've finally had some time to work on this story! Hopefully, I should be able to type out and post future chapters faster, now. I have the whole story planned out, pretty much. I just have to get to it and type the rest out. This story will definitely be my longest yet, because by the time I'm done with it, it will probably be at least between 25-30 chapters! That's not including the bonus chapters- which I'm also currently working on. Sorry for the rant, but I just thought that should give you guys an explanation, since It's been a few months since I last updated. Anyway, the next chapter should be up soon!- TwilightFairy928


	15. So Close

**Chapter 14 **

**-So Close- **

Link stopped, feeling his throat become painfully dry as his heart skipped a beat. His hand slid out of Hakumei's.

"Ghosts…?" he breathed, his heart now pounding. The boy shook his head as he took a few steps back.

"Link, please…" Hakumei pleaded softly, extending a hand toward him.

"No…" Link moaned, and spun around bolting into woods, "I'm going _home."_ As he dashed away from them, a shadow appeared before him. He gasped and tripped, falling hard onto the ground. Slowly looking up, his eyes met with Jikoku's. Frowning, the man reached down and picked him up, hoisting Link over his shoulder.

"I do apologize, but we do _not_ have time for this," the man said gruffly. Link released a scream of anger in response.

"_No!"_ the boy howled, _"Put me down, put me down, put me down! You're dead! I don't want to go with you! Let me go! I wanna go back to my Papa! Please!"_

"Calm yourself, child!" Jikoku barked, "It is necessary for you to-" He paused and sighed as Link began pounding on his back in a futile attempt to escape.

"Link," Hakumei tried, "Link, please!"

"No!" Link shouted, continuing to beat his fists onto the middle-aged man's back.

"We will just take him there," Jikoku sighed.

"Right," Hakumei replied with a nod. Link yelped.

"_NO!"_

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"L…let me… g… go…" Link panted, exhausted. He had had no success in freeing himself, to his frustration.

"Link…" Hakumei sighed, "I truly _am_ sorry… that we have upset you so." The boy relaxed, slightly, at these words and gripped the fabric on Jikoku's back. He sniffed, feeling his eyes well up with tears. Tired, he allowed the liquid to fall, staining the man's shirt.

"I'm sorry…" the young man repeated, "Jikoku, we _are_ inside, now, so perhaps you could…?"

"Very well," Jikoku said, lifting the boy up then placing him down on the floor. He quickly grabbed Link by the arm, adding, "but we cannot allow him to leave. There is too much on the line." Hakumei nodded.

"Furthermore," he continued, "Enough of this ruse. We must tell him who we are."

"Of course," the young man said. He stepped before Link and knelt down so that he was eye level with the child.

"Link?" he said softly.

"Huh?" Link replied, rubbing the tears from his eyes with his free arm.

"My name is not really Hakumei," he said, "Do you know what my name really is?"

"Uh-uh."

"Link," he said, "That is my name, too. My name is Link. You see, I was once the one known as the Hero of Twilight." Link stared.

"You…"

"Yes," the Hero of Twilight said, "and that is Jikoku's true name, too. He was known as the Hero of Time. Although," he added partly to the man, "I do believe he has hardened a bit, perhaps, since his death…?" Link felt the old Hero of Time shift uncomfortably and he glanced back to see the man look away.

"So _that's_ why you knew the story about the Hero of Time so well!" Link exclaimed.

"Now," 'Hakumei' said, "What we must tell you is this: you are the next one destined to save Hyrule. _You_ are the next Link. That means that you _must_ take this…" He slid the sword from the sheath and held it up.

"… and you must place it in its pedestal," he finished.

"But… why?" Link asked, looking around, "and where are we?"

"This is the Temple of Time," he replied, "Within this temple lies the power to, at least in part, restore this sword. This sword is known as the Master Sword. It is necessary in stopping a growing evil in this land."

"You mean…" Link said, "I have to fight something… scary?"

"Unfortunately," the Hero of Twilight answered, "But you are the one who has been chosen to complete this task. You're not ready, though. Not yet."

"What do I have to do?" the boy asked, his curiosity now overtaking his fear.

"Come with us."

As the Hero of Time released him, Link followed them through the enormous, white, marble room and into a circular one surrounded with stained glass windows all around. In the middle was a raised platform, on which a pedestal rested.

"Here," 'Hakumei' said, placing the sword in the boy's hands.

"Do I just put it in there?" Link asked, looking up at the pedestal.

"Yes."

Link solemnly walked up the steps and stood in front of the pedestal. He slowly raised the hilt of the sword high above his head, staring at his faint reflection in the rusty metal of the blade. A terrified, confused looking, young boy stared back him. He glanced back at the two spirits, then, with a shout, he plunged the blade into the pedestal. He jumped as a blue light formed all around him.

"_Link!"_

Link gasped as he recognized the voice calling his name. He looked back around to see a familiar figure running toward him.

"_Papa!"_ he shouted happily, releasing the Master Sword and spinning around to hurry toward his father, "You found me! I'm coming!" He stopped, startled, as the blue light suddenly stretched to the ceiling.

"No, _no!"_ Link screamed, "Stop it! Let me out! Papa, hurry!" He leaned forward as his fingers almost touched his father's outstretched hand. The image of the man he so longed to be reunited with faded as the light became brighter.

"No," Link said, still attempting to reach through the light, "No! Wait, please! _Papa!"_

-Okay, so this is part two of (probably) three of the otherwise long chapter. I kind of wanted the chapter lengths to be remotely consistent, overall, but I wanted each section to end at a good stopping point. Sort of a cliffhanger, I hope! But can you guys guess where this is going?- TwilightFairy928


	16. The Key To The Future

**Chapter 15 **

**-The Key To The Future- **

"Awaken, Hero of Time."

Link slowly opened his eyes, but winced as he was met with bright light. He squinted, trying to focus. His surrounding gradually came into focus, and he soon realized that he was still in the Temple of Time. Sleepily, he stretched, rolling his shoulders, as he was feeling rather stiff. Link frowned, noticing that he had apparently fallen asleep standing up. That was odd, he thought.

Looking down- the floor seemed a bit farther down than usual- he noticed that he was holding the Master Sword. The old sword shone beautifully in the light emanating through the stain glass windows. It looked like new. He held it up to examine it. There was something strange about his reflection, but he had only glanced at it before realizing that he was not alone. Instinctively, he raised the sword in defense.

"Who's there?" he called. His eyes widened as he placed his free hand on his throat. That voice did not sound like his own. Shaking his head, Link took a few cautious steps forward and gasped as he recognized the man standing at the entrance of the room. Suddenly remembering all that had happened, Link barred his teeth as anger bubbled up inside of him.

"_You,"_ he growled in his strange, new, deeper voice. The old Hero of Time, whom he had formally known as Jikoku, simply stood with his hands folded behind his back as he stared evenly at Link.

"What happened?" Link barked, "Where is my Papa? Take me back!"

"I cannot," the ghost replied, "For you are needed here."

"What-" Link said softly, then, glancing down at the sword, understood. He tossed the Master Sword aside, where it clanged upon impact with the marble floor and slid a little ways away.

"I don't want this," he said, glaring at the man, "Take me back."

"I. Cannot," 'Jikoku' repeated slowly, raising his head slightly. Link balled his hands into fists and rushed at him, grabbing the man by his tunic and lifting him up. He was stronger now, too, apparently.

"_Find someone else!"_ Link yelled, _"Because I want to go home. Now!"_

"There is no one else," the former hero said, retaining his calm expression, seemingly unfazed by the boy's anger, "Your world is in terrible danger. Do you not care?" Link's grip loosened and he lowered the ghost back onto the floor.

"I can't do this," he said, "Don't make me do this."

"Is that so?" 'Jikoku' said, "Look at yourself."

Link looked down and gasped. He was dressed in a green tunic and leather boots. He wore chain mail under his tunic and his hands were protected by leather gloves. His once bare arms and legs were covered in white clothing, worn under his tunic. Link slowly raised his hands to his face, wondering how different he now looked. He hurried over to the sword and snatched it up. His jaw dropped at the sight of his reflection in the metal. A young man stared back at him, an expression of shock across his features.

"What…" Link breathed, "What happened to me…?"

"You have traveled seven years into the future," the ghost explained, "You were too young to handle the task at hand, so it was necessary for you to grow, first."

"Seven years…?" he echoed, "Then… what happened while I was gone?"

"You have heard of Ganondorf," the man stated, "You see, it was only a matter of time before he took control of Hyrule, once again. He is now the king. _You_ must take the Master Sword and put a stop to his reign. However…"

"'However'…?"

"…you must first restore the sword of its power," he finished, "by finding the three Princesses of the Goddesses. They can restore the Master Sword."

"Where will I find them, then?" Link asked.

"The first princess is not far from here. She is Princess Farore," the ghost replied, "and I do believe that you are acquainted."

"Who is she?" he said, trying think of everyone he knew who it could possibly be.

"I do believe she is called _'Saria'." _

"_Saria…?"_ Link gasped, feeling his heart drop, "She's in danger?"

"Unfortunately," 'Jikoku' said, "But _you_ are the new Hero of Time. _You_ are the key to the future. You can save her. You _must_ save her."

"Right!" he said with a nod, "But… where will I find her?"

"I can sense that she is within the Forest Temple," the ghost said, "That is not far from here. Now, go. Save her. You must save her…" The old hero's voice echoed as he slowly faded from view.

"Wait! Don't leave me!" Link called, "I don't know how to get there! I don't want to get lost! At least… leave me a guide…" He sighed, slumping his shoulders.

"Now what…?" he muttered, looking around the ancient structure.

"Hey!" a high pitched voice called, "Link!" Link looked around for the source of the voice.

"Look, up here!" it said. He turned to see a small, blue light bobbing around one of the windows. It suddenly shot down and flew all around him.

"Link!" it cried, "I'm back! I'm so happy to see you!"

"What- uh, _who_ are you?" he said, trying to focus on the strange little winged ball of light, "and how do you know my name?"

"W-what? You don't remember me…?" it said, floating a few inches away from Link's face. It was so close, now, that he could see the faint form of a small girl. He shook his head.

"Wait, no… You _are_ different," she said, as her wings drooped, "You're not him. I'm sorry"

"But, wait, who are you?" he asked, holding out a hand. She carefully sat down on it.

"My name is Navi," she said.

"Oh," he said, "That's a very nice name."

"Thank you," she said.

"I'm Link," he introduced himself, "You say your friend has the same name as me?"

"Yes," Navi said, "He looks a lot like you, too. I left for a while, but I was hoping to come back to him one day. But I guess I came back a little too late…"

"Well…" Link said, "I'm looking for someone, too. Actually, I'm looking for a couple of people."

"Oh, really?" she said, stepping off of his hand and floating once more, "Who are you looking for?"

"A friend of mine and my Papa," he replied, "Maybe we can help each other out. See, I have to find a place called the 'Forest Temple'. Do you know where that is?"

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed, rising high into the air, "I know where that is! Come on!"

-Yeah! I'm updating, rapid fire, now! Let's hope it stays that way. Okay, so that's the last part of the long chapter. Yes, yes, I know, you're probably wondering why I just _had_ to put annoying, naggy Navi in there. But I'm going to try to make her, hopefully, _not_ annoying and naggy. I just figured that, well, she just sort of disappeared without a trace in Ocarina of Time and hasn't been heard of since. So, I thought I'd bring her back. She won't be Link's only companion for long, though. And no, his next companion will not be Saria. I'll tell you that much and no more! After all, I don't want to spoil the story. Also, I imagined this Link to look a lot like the Link in Twilight Princess. Younger, I pictured him looking kind of like the young Link in Ocarina of Time, but with his hair parted on the side, instead of in the middle. Ahem… I'll try to have the next chapter up, soon.- TwilightFairy928


	17. Missing Link: Mother's Day

-Note: this bonus chapter is not from Link's point of view. In this story, Link doesn't really have a mother. Well, technically he does, but he doesn't know that at this point. Remember Fyrus from chapter 6, 'Misadventures In Hyrule Castle Town'? Well, I thought I'd do something a little different, so he's the main character in this chapter. He'll appear in later chapters of the main storyline anyway. Also, just a reminder, but Fyrus is the next Gerudo king- hence the last line. He doesn't really understand that yet, though.

Please enjoy, and Happy Mother's Day!- TwilightFairy928

**Missing Link **

**-Mother's Day- **

"…but it's only a rumor. We don't really know if it even exists."

Fyrus leaned in to get a better look at the knights, though he made sure to keep just out of sight. He knew that he was not supposed to interfere or eavesdrop on the Hyrulian knights' conversations, but it fascinated him so. One knight in particular, Sir Raven, amazed him. The man had traveled to so many places, had been in so many battles, and he was still fairly young. Fyrus decided that he wanted to be like his idol someday.

"Hmm…" one of the knights said, "Perhaps we should take a look? It sounds worth it, certainly."

"Very well," Sir Raven said, "But I think we should go about it like this. I believe we should first-"

"_Fyrus!"_

Fyrus felt someone grip him by the back of his tunic and pull him back. He was spun around to meet the angry face his mother, her golden eyes boring into his own.

"Oh, uh," he stammered with a weak laugh, "Hi, Mama."

"I _told_ you to leave them alone, didn't I?" she snapped, "I don't even know how many times…! Their business is their own and _not_ yours! You can listen in on them if and when you ever become a knight. Now, if I ever catch you eavesdropping on them again-"

"Okay, okay!" he squeaked, jerking his hands around behind him in defense, "Yes ma'am! I understand! But I, uh, hey, it's uh, it's Mother's Day, isn't it?" Her eyes narrowed further.

"I mean," he tried again, "of course it's Mother's Day! I- I even got you a gift."

"Oh really?" she said, releasing him and placing her hands on her hips, "That's very nice of you. Where did you put it?"

"Well, I, uh… I have to go get it," he said, "It's um… yeah, I have to go get it." He staggered back with a weak smile and a small shrug, then dashed toward the door of his mother's bar.

"Where do you think you're going?" his mother called.

"I'll be right back!" he replied, "I just gotta go get your present!" She shook her head as he slammed the door shut behind him. Just outside, Fyrus leaned against the door and looked around frantically, wondering what to do. He hated getting into trouble with his mother, and he shuddered at the thought of what she would do if and when she discovered that he had been lying to her. The color drained from his face as he thought of what would then happen when his father returned home from work. He closed his eyes, trying to think. Getting an idea, he shoved his hand into his pocket, pulling out a few green rupees.

"Din!" he swore, "I'll have to find something small…" He ran out of the alley and into the streets of Hyrule Castle Town. Knowing that there were many shops all along the roads, he scrambled to see what he could find.

"Mama likes apples," he muttered to himself, "But no, can't do that, too expensive… what about a nice ribbon or something pretty to tie in her hair? No, that's too much, too… maybe- no… what about- no, no. What would she use _that_ for…?" He became more and more frantic as the time passed. The sun was getting low in the sky, and he still had not found anything. Fyrus stopped and leaned against a wall, glancing around.

"What am I gonna do?" he moaned, "She's gonna be so mad at me…"

"Flowers! Flowers for sale!"

Fyrus followed the sound of the voice to it's source: a goron merchant with a large flower cart. The boy's eyes widened with hope. He ran over to the cart and looked at all the different flowers. Most of them he had never seen the likes of before.

"Pretty…" he commented.

"Most of these flowers don't grow around here," the goron said, "I've collected seeds from all over Hyrule. They're very fresh."

"Yeah," Fyrus said, then, having an idea, "Hey, I'm looking for something for my Mama. For Mother's Day. Y'know?"

"Oh, I see," the goron said, "What kind of flowers does she like?"

"Um…" he said, scanning the plants, "Well… she's Gerudo. Maybe she'd like a flower from where her ancestors are from."

"Hmm," the merchant hummed, "Flowers are rare in the Gerudo Desert. They have difficulty thriving in the intense heat, you understand. However," he plucked a particularly large, beautiful flower out, "This one grows in the desert, but they are very, very hard to find."

"That's _beautiful!"_ Fyrus exclaimed, "Oh, but… it's probably too much. I don't think I can afford something like that…"

"Tell you what," the goron said, "How much do you have?"

"Um…" Fyrus dug around in his pocket for the green rupees again. Once he had fished them out, he counted them.

"I have three rupees," he said.

"That's good enough," the goron said, handing the boy the flower.

"Wow!" the boy said, "Are you sure? Thanks a lot!" He placed the rupees in the goron's hand and ran back home, dodging through the waning crowd. Reaching the alley, he bolted into the bar.

"Mama!" he called, searching around the room. Unsuccessful, he hurried into a back room of the building.

"Hello!" he tried again.

"Fyrus!"

He turned to see his mother coming toward him with outstretched arms.

"Honey, where have you been?" she said, pulling him close, "You've been gone for quite a long while! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mama," he assured her, "But look! I brought you something!" He held out the flower for her to see.

"Oh, Fyrus!" she gasped, "It's beautiful!"

"I thought you'd like it. Happy Mother's Day," he said, beginning to attempt to squirm out of her arms, "I should, uh, probably go…"

"_Fyrus,"_ she said smoothly but venomously, "I'm thinking that you didn't already have this for me and lost it, did you? You lied to me, didn't you?"

"Um… Well, I- I uh…" he stuttered, trying even harder to escape.

"You really didn't think that you'd get away with that, now, did you?" she questioned, "Well… it's Mother's Day, so I'll cut you some slack. For now. I'll deal with you tomorrow. Now, wash up and go to bed." Fyrus quickly nodded and hurried to do so. He paused however, and looked back.

"I'm sorry," he said, "But… Happy Mother's Day, Mama, and good night." She smiled, and shook her head.

"Good night, my sweet little prince."


	18. Missing Link: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

**Missing Link **

**-The Sorcerer's Apprentice- **

Link stood in front of a mirror in his room, adjusting his new red tunic. Papa had just returned the previous day from his trip to Hyrule Castle Town, and had brought not only food back with him, but clothes as well. Link admired his new tunic; it had a hood and a couple pockets, and he even had a new belt to go with it! As fine as this was, he wondered what his father would buy for him for his upcoming tenth birthday.

Of course, his Aunt Kotake had pointed out, as she stirred that disgusting blue potion for Papa earlier that day, that he would be in the 'double digits'- or so she described it- but that hadn't worried Link. At least he wouldn't be in the 'triple digits' or quadruple digits', or however old Aunt Kotake and Aunt Koume were. Of course, he wouldn't say that to their faces, as he knew, very well, that to point such a thing out would result in a painful whack on his behind from his aunt's large spoon, potion dripping from it or not.

Link shook his head from these thoughts and stood upright, staring as heroically at his reflection as he could. Really, he would have preferred a green tunic, since green was his favorite color, but his father hadn't bought him any, at all- or at least that he could remember- so he decided just to be grateful for what he was given. After all, his father chose things for him that Saria described as, _"almost like a prince",_ to which Mido would make a terrible face upon hearing. Link enjoyed that. Perhaps he would show them today.

"Link?" a deep voice called through the door, along with a knock.

"Yes?" he called back.

"Are you done? May I enter?" his father asked.

"Yes sir," Link replied. He smiled as the tall man opened the door and stepped into his room.

"Hello!" the boy greeted him, smoothing down his brand new tunic proudly, "What do you think?"

"That looks quite fine on you," his father replied.

"I think so, too," Link said, pulling the hood up and grinning broadly, "Ah! And happy Father's Day, by the way!" With a slight smirk, his father sat down on the bed.

"Thank you," he said, "But Link, there is something I would like to show you."

"What is it?" his son asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I believe you are old enough for me to teach you _magic,"_ he said. The child stared at him for a few seconds.

"Magic…?" Link repeated softly, "You mean… like the stuff you and Aunt Koume and Aunt Kotake do?"

"Yes, I-"

"Oh!" he exclaimed, "Then maybe I can _make_ you a present for Father's Day with the magic tricks you teach me, Papa! I haven't got you anything yet- sorry- but I-" Mr. Dragmire held up a hand for silence.

"That is alright," the man said, "However, you must begin with the simplest of spells. It will take many years of training before you can master such spells as you wish to perform."

"Oh," Link said, his head and shoulders drooping. His father reached forward and lifted the boy's chin up.

"But we will work on it," he said. Link smiled again.

"Then, let's go get started!" the child cried happily, tugging on his father's arm, "C'mon, Papa!" Mr. Dragmire sighed and shook his head, but he smiled at his son's enthusiasm.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"What a mess."

Mr. Dragmire frowned, glancing down at his son, then back at the room.

"I seem to recall telling you clean up this mess up _yesterday,_ boy, after you were done playing?" he said, crossing his arms, "It appears that you have somehow… forgotten, I suppose?" Link blushed as he smiled weakly up at his father. He opened his mouth, trying to come up with a clever excuse. Unable to think of one, he thought better of it and closed his mouth.

"We cannot begin lessons unless this room is cleared, and I do believe that it is _your_ responsibility to do so," Mr. Dragmire announced, "I will leave you for the time being. I will be outside, helping your aunts gather the ingredients for their potions. Come and tell me when you are done. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," Link nodded.

"Very well, then," the man said, "I will leave you to it." With that, he turned and exited through the front door, pausing only to glance back and smile encouragingly at his son. Link hesitated long enough to smile back and wave. But as soon as the door was shut, the boy dashed over to a small wooden table, upon which sat one of his father's old books. He began to eagerly flip through the pages.

"Papa will be so proud of me if I manage to clean all of this up with one of his spells!" Link muttered excitedly, "I'll show him that I don't need to start with one of those boring beginner spells. I can handle something better than that, I _know_ I can!" He stopped on a particular page, his eyes widening with interest at the illustration. Mops moving about on their own, cleaning a stone floor until it shone. Deciding it looked easy enough, Link grabbed a mop from the corner of the room and began mimicking what was instructed in the book. He waved his hands furiously at the thing, willing it to move. He frowned, noticing no changes. Then suddenly, he noticed a twitch, then another. His heart leaped with joy; the mop stood up all on its own! Link grinned, feeling confident, now.

"Clean up!" the boy commanded, "I want you to clean up this room, pick everything up and… wait…"

He frowned. The mop could not pick anything up; it would need hands for that. Waving his hands dramatically at the mop, he willed it to grow. Out popped two arms, connected to one hand each. Link laughed out loud, feeling immensely successful. But he slapped a hand to his mouth, hoping that no one outside could hear him. He bit his lip, hurrying over to the window to peer out. His father and aunts had heard nothing. Sighing with relief, Link returned to the mop.

"Now, do what I said earlier," he said, "Clean up this mess. Then when you're done, get that bucket over there," he pointed to a wooden pale sitting beside a desk, "fill it with water, pour that on the floor, and, well, mop it. Just keep doing that, okay? The whole floor needs to be clean. Spotless. Got it?"

The mop did a sort of sloppy salute to him and marched off to do as it was told. Feeling rather proud of himself, Link grinned, walking over to a chair and draping himself over the sides of it. He continued to playfully direct the mop, even as it began to wash the floor. This seemed easy enough, he thought, and began thinking on what he would conjure up as a present for Papa for Father's Day. He'd felt rather bad that he had not acquired a present yet, but it was rather difficult to do so when one was confined in such a place as he had to live in. Link's mind continued to wander. Gradually, everything became blurry and faint, and the boy drifted off to sleep.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Flying. Link was flying, higher and higher. Pride welled up inside him, knowing just how well he was handling his father's magic. Now, he was leaving Lake Hylia, rising far above all that he was familiar with. Soon, he would be free to explore all of Hyrule. The land he had never seen before was almost in view, when he suddenly felt himself losing altitude. His eyes widened and his heart sank as he realized that he was falling back down toward the lake, faster, _faster… _within moments he sensed the cold water engulf him. He tried to scream, but only choked, his mouth filling with water. His arms thrashed about, growing desperate as his lungs began to ache. His eyes snapped open.

Awake now, Link found himself _actually_ underwater, and so he pushed himself to the surface. He gasped for air and coughed up the water he had swallowed. He found himself to be submerged only a little more than knee deep, but he glanced around. Horrified, he noticed that the mop was still dumping water on the floor, attempting to clean it.

"How long was I asleep?" the boy muttered to himself, then shouted at the mop, "No! Stop! You're done! You can stop now. _Stop it!"_ The mop ignored him, continued to poor more water onto the floor, and drenching the child as he drew near. Link coughed and glared at the mop as he shook himself off. The mop simply ignored him and dumped another bucket of water on him.

"Stop it! Link shrieked, grabbing it. It struggled, flailing about until it slipped though the boy's hands and scurried away.

"That _it!"_ the boy yelled, enraged.

He ran, as quickly as he could through the flooded room, back into his father's bedroom and snatched the old sword off of a table. He knew that he really wasn't supposed to even touch the weapon, much less use it, but it was the only idea he had. Link trudged back into the room to the mop and, with great effort due to how big the sword was in comparison to his own rather small body, he swung it down onto the mop, breaking it apart until only small bits of it remained, floating helplessly about. Link panted, not used to handling such weight. But, desperate times called for desperate measures. Link thought frantically about what he should do- how would he clean all this up before Papa walked in and witnessed the chaos his son had caused? He shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. Link dragged the sword back into the bedroom, hoping that his father would not notice any new scratches.

Link paused, though, hearing a faint sound from the other room that caused his heart to seemingly jump into his throat. Carefully placing the sword back where he had found it, the boy staggered back into the room, looking around wildly. He gasped at what sight met him. Mop after mop formed from the remains of the original, each grabbing the buckets which lay about the room. A few even grabbed his great aunts' cauldron. Link watched in horror as they each filled up the containers with water and dumped the contents out, causing the water level to rapidly rise. The boy ran around frantically, trying to stop them, taking their buckets- anything that he could think of. Nothing was working.

"No! Stop it, stop it, _stop it!"_ Link shouted, almost becoming hysterical and he grabbed a passing wooden something. His feet could no longer reach the floor; the water was far too deep. Panic flooded through him. He would drown at this rate, if he didn't think of something fast. The boy's eyes widened and hope filled as he realized just what he was holding onto. It was the table upon which the spell book sat. The book was still there. His mind raced; there must be something he could use to stop this. Link flipped through the pages frantically. Nothing, still nothing, again, nothing. The water was rising. He was so close to the ceiling, now. Link slowly felt himself slip from the table and into the water.

But, wait, he noticed that something seemed to be causing the water to suddenly drop. Link sunk deeper and deeper, just as he had in his dream. He wondered if would die this way, as everything around him darkened.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"_Link. Link, awaken, please!" _

Link slowly opened his eyes. His whole body ached, and he began to cough uncontrollably, spewing water onto his lap and the floor. Once he could properly breathe again, he noticed that he was leaning against something. Or rather, _someone._ He slowly raised his head and looked up into the face towering above him, which held an expression that seemed to be a combination of concern, relief, and a hint of anger and disappointment. Link suddenly felt like butterflies were flitting about in his stomach.

"Are you alright?" his father asked, quickly checking him over for any signs of injury. Link nodded, his voice feeling caught in his throat.

"Good," the man said, "Then, can you speak?"

"I, uh, I, er, y-yes," Link sputtered, and then added as an afterthought, "Yes sir."

"Good," his father repeated, his expression intensifying into one of pure anger, "Then I want you tell me _exactly_ what happened."

"I, uh, um," he tried, trying to think carefully about where he should begin, "Well, I, uh, I-"

"_Now."_

Mr. Dragmire did not yell, but he may as well have. His low, stern tone was enough to make Link's bright, blue eyes bubble with tears that he was trying very hard to hold back.

"I- I didn't mean to cause all this, Papa," he said, blinking heavily, "I just, I-"

"You consulted my spell book, didn't you?" his father said, "Did you not?"

"I…" Link said, barely composing himself at this point, "Y-yes, Papa, I di- did. But I'm sorry! I thought I could do it, but I couldn't. I'm really sorry! I really am!"

"I have told you, multiple times, _not_ to tamper with that book!" the man scolded, "And yet you toy with it regardless! Look at what chaos you have caused!"

Glancing around, Link could see that the house looked utterly ruined. Unable to hold it back any longer, tears streamed down his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" he chanted.

"That will not be enough, boy," his father said, lifting the child to his feet.

"I j- I just…" Link attempted to say between sobs, "I just wanted t-to impress you! The-then I wanted to make something special for you today. F-for Fa- for Father's Day…"

Mr. Dragmire sighed. His son meant well, but… The man knelt down, taking the boy's shoulders in his hands. _"Din, he is so small!"_ he thought. The man, whom the child knew not as Ganondorf, smiled at his son as he leaned forward so that their faces were level with one another.

"This," he began, momentarily regaining his stern expression, "was dangerous. You could have _died,"_ Link sniffed and nodded, looking for all the world as if he would burst into tears again, "Thus, this is unacceptable behavior. I _cannot_ allow this to happen again."

"What are you going to do?" Link burst, having clearly been holding back the question. The boy bit his lip in worry.

"I _should_ punish you for this," his father said, to which the child bit down on his lip harder, his small eyebrows rapidly traveling further down, "However, I believe this experience may be enough. I am assuming you would not want to nearly drown again, or worse, in the future?" Link shook his head frantically, "I assumed as much. Be it that you decide to do this _again,_ however…" He did not even need to finish before his son shook his head vigorously again.

"No, no!" Link assured him, "I don't want to _ever_ do that again. Never."

"Very good," he said, nodding. He waved a hand, and Link jumped as everything danced back into its rightful place. The boy frowned.

"I guess I you probably won't be teaching me any of that, now, will you?" Link said, gazing miserably at the room, "After what I did."

"What?" his father said, looking surprised, "You were not paying attention? Perhaps you should watch as I do it again." Link grinned. Even though it was not said out loud, he knew he was forgiven.

"Happy Father's Day, Papa," he said, "and next year, I'm going to use the magic you teach me to make you something really great!"

Mr. Dragmire shook his head, mentally preparing himself for a repeat performance next year. But why would he have it any other way?

-And, there we have it, the Father's Day special bonus chapter! This is what I get for watching the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Fantasia- multiple times- while trying to come up with a storyline… well, I tried. I hope that idea worked out okay. By the way, did you notice the reference I made with Link's tunic…? And yes, I realize that it was, originally, a broom instead of a mop in the story. But a mop just worked better here. Okay, about the next main-storyline chapter: I've had to replay some of Twilight Princess and re-explore the Forest Temple, as that's the location for the next upcoming chapter. I'll work on it as quickly as I can and try to have it posted as soon as possible. It's currently in-progress, as of this posting!- TwilightFairy928


	19. Learning To Be Strong

**Chapter 16 **

**-Learning To Be Strong-**

Link stumbled after the little floating ball of light. He still was not used to being so tall. He wondered how his father moved at all with his long legs. The young man had even hit his head on several branches, trying to keep up with the fairy. But he stopped, seeing that she had paused, her wings drooping as she hovered this way and that.

"Everything looks kind of… different," Navi said, "I'm honestly not entirely sure which way to go."

"You mean we're lost?" Link said, looking nervously around at the dark shadows that lurked at the base of the large trees. He reached back and gripped the hilt of the Master Sword, ready to pull it out at any moment.

"Well," she said, "if I can just find something familiar… aha! I recognize that! This way!" Her wings perked back up as she shot into the woods again.

"Wait!" Link called, dashing after her, "Wait for me! Don't leave me!" He tripped and fought through the bushes, branches and undergrowth as he struggled to keep up. A ray of brilliant light hit his face, forcing him to squint to see the clearing. Holding a hand up to block the light, he took in the scenery. He had been here before.

"Are we almost there?" he asked.

"Well… we're near where the Great Deku Tree once lived," Navi replied, "and look! See, Link, there's a bridge you can cross to get there. Most things still look very different to me. This bridge… it wasn't like this when I was here before."

"Um…" Link said, "I think… it's been a pretty long time since you've been here. Longer than you know."

"How long…?" she asked.

"It's been…" he hesitated, mentally scolding himself for not simply keeping his mouth shut, "Well… I think it's actually been a few _hundred_ years."

"…oh," Navi said softly, her wings drooping again, "I… I understand."

"I'm sorry," Link said, pretending to study the tips of his boots.

"I-it's alright," she said, clearly attempting to sound cheerful, "Let's just go, okay?" Link nodded. He followed her onto the bridge, remembering that some of this was not here before, when the two spirits had led him to the entrance of the Lost Woods. It seemed that they were helping him, even now. He glanced around, half-expecting to see one of them close by, watching him. There was no one else except the little fairy who flew steadily ahead of him.

"Oh…!" Navi suddenly gasped, once they had reached the other side of the bridge.

"What's wrong?" Link asked, again reaching for his sword. He scanned the area, detecting no threat.

"It's…" she said softly, "It's… t-the…"

"What is it?" he said, drawing the Master Sword out of its sheath.

"The Great Deku Tree," she answered, her wings drooping slightly. He looked in the direction in which she faced. An enormous, decaying tree rested up at top of a winding path.

"'Great Deku Tree'?" Link repeated, "What's that?"

"I guess it's been a while…" she sighed, "Have you ever heard of the 'Kokiri'?" Link thought back on what his father had taught him. He had learned about many races and the geography of Hyrule, and so it sounded familiar to him.

"Isn't that the forest tribe that lived around here a long time ago?" he guessed.

"Yes," she replied.

"They were all children, right?" he said.

"They were," Navi said, "and the Great Deku Tree was their father."

"You mean… _that thing,"_ Link pointed up at the tree, "was their _father?"_

"He was," she said.

"That's weird," he said with a frown, trying to sound surprised as he suddenly recalled 'Jikoku's' story, "but what happened to him?"

"He was cursed," Navi said, her wings drooping further, "and died."

"That's sad," Link commented, "Who cursed him and why would they want to do that?"

"He was cursed because a terrible man named Ganondorf-"

"_Ganondorf?"_ he gasped, "I've heard of him! Was this when the Hero of Twilight or the Hero of Time was around?"

"I haven't heard of the 'Hero of Twilight'," she said, "but my friend was called the 'Hero of Time'."

"Really?" he exclaimed, "You knew _the_ Hero of Time? I've met him, too!"

"Oh! You have?" she said, bouncing up and down.

"Yes!" he replied, "He's all grown up, now, and he-" Link stopped himself from finishing the sentence with, "-is a ghost." Instead, remembering what 'Jikoku' had told him, he finished with, "-is looking for you."

"He is?" she said happily, but her wings suddenly drooped again and she added, "But didn't you say it had been a few hundred years…? Then… then wouldn't he be-"

"Um," Link cleared his throat, "Hey, uh, do you think that the Great Deku Tree might be the new Forest Temple? I was thinking that we could explore through it a little bit. My friend might be in there. What was it that you were saying about Ganondorf, by the way? Why did he curse the Great Deku Tree?"

"Oh, yes," she said, "He wanted something called the Kokiri's Emerald, which was one of three stones known as the Spiritual Stones."

"Spiritual Stones…" Link said, nodding, attempting to distract her with his pretended curiosity, "That sounds interesting. I guess there was more than one, then, huh? What were they used for?"

"They were a few of the things needed to get to the triforce," she replied.

"I've heard of the Triforce," he admitted, "If you get it, anything you wish for comes true, right?"

"Right," she said.

"Well, then, I don't think I need the Triforce to make my wish come true," Link said, "Because I wish to go inside that tree and see if my friend is there. What do you say? Will you go in with me?" She seemed to brighten at this.

"Alright. I will go with you," Navi said, "and I'll help you like I helped my Link!"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"It smells musty in here."

"Well, it's been a while since anyone has been here, it seems," Navi said, "but it's not _so_ bad."

"It still smells funny," Link whined, pouting as he took a good look about inside of the dark, dusty, old tree. He was quite sure he heard a tiny sigh from the fairy.

"Oh! Hey!" she chirped, "Look! Over there! It's a chest!"

"Huh?"

"You go over there and open it, silly," she giggled, "There might be something useful inside."

"I can just do that?" Link asked, walking over to the chest, "I mean, I won't be stealing it, right? Nobody will mind if I just take it? Papa taught me not to take things that don't belong to me, so…"

"It's alright," she said, "Those chests are left in places like this for adventurers. This isn't somebody's house or anything."

"Oh, okay," he said, lifting the lid and reaching inside, "Hey… oh, hey! I recognize this! What's it doing in here?"

"What is it?" Navi asked, gliding over his shoulder for a better look.

"It's my satchel!" he replied happily, opening the little bag up and peering inside, "And… yes! Everything is still inside!"

"What's in there?" she said, inching closer.

"An empty bottle," he began, holding the contents up for her to see one by one, "a Zora scale, a Kargaroc feather, another feather here, see? Then there's _this."_ He proudly held up the last item: the green stone that he had found on the shores of Lake Hylia.

"I'm not really sure what this is, but it sure is pretty, isn't it?" Link said, holding it up so that it caught a few dim rays of light.

"That's…!" Navi gasped, "That's the Spiritual Stone of Forest! The Kokiri's Emerald!"

"This?" he said, nodding at the stone, "It's the same? Oh, maybe we can use it!"

"You need all three Spiritual Stones to get into the Sacred Realm, where the Triforce is," she said.

"Oh," Link said, dropping the stone back into the satchel, "Maybe… we could still use it for something?"

"Maybe," she said, "but for now, let's explore a little deeper so that we might find your friend, okay?"

"Okay," he replied with a nod. He tied the strings of the satchel onto his belt so that the bag hung from his waist for safekeeping. He then jogged after the fairy as she flew off, deeper into the dungeon, but stopped in front of a wall covered in vines.

"How do I get up that?" Link asked, pointing at the wall, "It's covered with giant spiders!"

"Hit them with your sword," she suggested.

"Uh, right," he said, drawing the Master Sword. He began waving it wildly and clumsily at the spiders, but knocked them off, regardless.

"There's another one still up there," he said. Looking around, he noticed several small stones about his feet. He momentarily sheathed his sword and picked a few up. Judging a stone's weight first, he decided that it would be heavy enough to kill the creature. Link threw it. He missed. He threw another one, with another miss. With a bit more determination, Link hurtled the last stone at the spider. The rock found its mark this time and the spider gave an odd 'creak' like cry, curled up, and fell. This one left something behind.

"Hey, look, Navi!" Link said, picking the thing up and showing her, "A green rupee!"

"Good!" she replied, "Sometimes monsters drop things like that when you defeat them."

"Are some of the things they drop _bigger_ than green rupees…?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, sometimes," she said.

"Let's go fight some more monsters, then!" Link said, pocketing the rupee and climbing up the vines.

"You'll want to be careful," she warned, "Those were actually pretty little. The monsters get a _lot_ bigger."

"How much bigger can they be?" he said, feeling confidant as he opened the door to the next room. The cocky smile which had formed on his face soon disappeared.

"What's that?" he asked weakly, staring at what looked like a spider that stood higher than his waist which lurked up a flight of wooden steps, hanging in midair.

"That's a skulltulla," Navi identified, "It's basically a big spider."

"A _really_ big spider," Link added, "So, uh, how do I beat it? Wait, don't tell me. I hit it with my sword, right?" He dashed up the stairs, sword in hand.

"Wait, Link!" Navi called as he swung the Master Sword, "Listen!" Ignoring her, his sword made contact with the skulltulla, but the spider suddenly spun about, knocking him back and down the stairs.

"_Link!"_ Navi called, "Link, are you alright?"

"Ow…" he groaned, rolling over to face her, "That… that _hurt."_

"Oh…!" she cooed, bobbing up and down with worry, "Can you get up? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," he replied, forcing himself to sit up. His eyes stung; he had never been wounded like this before. He smiled, attempting to calm her down, as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his arm, resisting the urge to cry.

"Are you sure?" Navi said, worry flooding her tone.

"I'm okay," he insisted, staggering onto his feet.

"Oh, if only I were bigger!" she said, "Then I could help you more!"

"Just tell me what I need to do to get rid of that thing," Link said, "That's all I need right now."

"Right," she said, "You have to wait until it turns around to reveal its soft underbelly."

"Got it," he said, hurrying back up the stairs. He readied his sword and watched the skulltulla carefully. Navi hovered to one side of it. Suddenly, the creature trembled as if with anger and it spun around.

"_Now!"_ Navi exclaimed. Link swung the blade across, effectively cutting through the skulltulla, killing it.

"I… I did it!" Link shouted, thrusting his sword into the air with triumph, "I beat it! Thank you, Navi!"

"You're welcome," she said, "but there will probably be many more, so watch out. Okay?"

"Alright," he said, "I'll be careful." A loud banging sound caused him to jump. There, in the middle of the platform he was on, was another chest.

"Where did that come from?" he wondered aloud, looking up at the ceiling.

"I don't know," Navi said, "but you should open it." He nodded and strode over to the chest, kneeling before it. He lifted the lid and reached inside, pulling out its contents.

"Hey!" he said, "It's a slingshot!" He tried aiming it about, to which Navi ducked.

"Please be careful!" she pleaded, "I don't want to be hit with one of those seeds."

"Is that what this is?" he said, examining his ammo as he walked toward her "I didn't think- _whoa!"_ He tripped and fell flat forward.

"Link!" Navi gasped.

"I'm okay," he said, "I just tripped on something." He rolled over and sat up to see what lay at his feet. The fairy flew low to see better.

"Deku nuts!" she identified the things, "Those are Deku nuts! You use them to blind your enemies. You throw them down, and it emits a bright flash of light."

"So…" he said slowly, picking the nuts up, "I should probably be careful not to blind _myself,_ then, huh?"

"Yes," she giggled, "That would be bad." He grinned and pocketed his Deku nuts and slingshot.

"Hey," Link commented, "Do you think that someone placed these here, to make this whole thing a little easier?"

"Maybe," she said, "At least they're giving us useful things, and not trying to give us a hard time instead."

"Yeah," he said, "and I think I know just who that might be."

-Okay, so this is another really long chapter cut up, most likely into two chapters this time. It's the longest chapter so far, I think, and technically, it's not over yet. Link and Navi still have to face the boss and save Saria! Just as a heads up, I'm naming the next chapter 'Arachnophobia'. That was originally the name of the whole, long chapter, but since I've split it up, I've renamed this half.

By the way (sorry to rant), I've noticed something. I've accidentally given Link a couple disorders (sorry, Link!). They are: Stockholm Syndrome, because of Link's attachment to his captor, thinking that Ganondorf is his father, and Necrophobia, the fear of the dead. Yup. Link is terribly afraid of dead things. Notice how he was terrified of Jikoku and Hakumei when he found they were ghosts? That's why, in particular. I'll expand on that fear later on in the story.

Also, about Jikoku and Hakumei. I think I forgot to explain their names- sorry about that! Now that you know who they are, I'll tell you: in Japanese, 'jikoku' means 'time', and 'hakumei' means 'twilight'. I had to do a little researching to pick the right names for them without totally giving away who they were.

One last thing- I know this a long note, so… About Ganondorf. Many of you seem to be worrying about how this story will end. Well, rest assured, I've got the whole thing planned out. Aside from the details within each chapter. _That's_ what takes me so long, but I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.- TwilightFairy928


	20. Arachnophobia

Chapter 17

-Arachnophobia-

Link glanced around uneasily as he noticed that his footsteps echoed around the great room. A few monsters, he could see, lurked in the shadows, watching his every move. He would need to be on his guard, more than any other room he had been in thus far. It was as if they had been waiting for him. Link shivered slightly at the thought of what would happen if he lost a single battle with any of them. But he had to continue, Saria needed him to. He sighed.

"What's the matter?" Navi asked. He shook his head, not feeling like answering.

"Hey, are you tired?" she said, "Maybe we should rest for a bit."

"No, I can't sleep now," he replied, shaking his head again, "Those things- the skulltullas and bokoblins and keese… they're all waiting for that. They'll get us if I fall asleep."

"I can keep watch," she offered.

"No, it's okay," he said, "Let's just keep going."

"Okay…" she sighed, "But, please, be careful…" He nodded. Link stepped forward onto a bridge and proceeded to cross it. As he walked, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a rather large key.

"So…" he said slowly, "do you think that whatever door this key is for will lead me to my friend?"

"Most likely," the fairy answered, "But you will need to be extra careful, because there is probably something large- much bigger than we've seen so far in this place- that will be guarding her."

"Why? What do you mean?" he asked as he reached the other side of the bridge.

"That's what usually happened when I was adventuring with my friend," she replied, "You see, the monsters don't want anyone to ruin their plans… or the plans of whoever may command them. Especially by whoever holds the Master Sword."

"…and that would be me right now," Link groaned.

"Right."

"I just hope my friend is okay…" he sighed, opening the door to the next room. An idea suddenly forming, Link stood up straight, "My friend! She gave me an ocarina!"

"An _ocarina?"_ Navi gasped, _"My_ friend had an ocarina, too!" He grinned, reaching into his satchel and pulling the little instrument out.

"She told me that if I ever wanted to talk to her, I only had to play this song…" Link held the ocarina to his lips and played the song that Saria had taught him.

"I…" Navi said, "I _know_ that song!"

"You do?" Link said, frowning, "But how could _you_ know it?"

"My friend, Link- the Hero of Time?" she said, "The Sage of Forest taught him that song. Saria's Song."

"_Saria?"_ he gasped, "But that… that's the name of _my_ friend! The one who's in trouble!"

"That's strange," she said, "It must be a coincidence. Unless the Sage of Forest had to come back for some reason. Although I think _your_ Saria might be a _different_ Saria than the one I met." He hummed in agreement. After a few moments, he frowned again.

"What's wrong?" Navi asked.

"She's not responding," Link replied, "I'm supposed to be able to talk to Saria when I play the ocarina she gave me, but I can't hear her."

"Try again," she suggested. He nodded and played the song again. After listening for a few moments, he could still hear no reply.

"Well…?" the fairy said.

"Nothing," Link said, "I hope she's okay…"

"Let's just hope for the best, alright?" Navi said, trying to sound encouraging.

"Right…" he sighed.

"Why don't we keep going?" she suggested, "Maybe we'll find where she is."

"Okay, but where?" Link said, looking around the room, "I don't see a way to get to the other side, there. Didn't you notice the big gap? There's no bridge to cross and no vines to climb on."

"But, look!" Navi said, flying over the gap, "See? There _are_ vines!" Link narrowed his eyes to better see what Navi floated about. As she had said, long, dark vines hung from above, all in a row, leading to the door across the way. His eyes widened.

"_No,"_ he said, shaking his head and taking a few steps back.

"It's okay!" she insisted, "Just jump towards me. I'll light the way!"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, _no,"_ Link said, staggering farther away, "I can't- I won't- no, I, no-"

"Just don't look down!" she said.

"Too late," he said, swallowing as he closed his eyes, "M-maybe there's another way around…"

"No, I don't think there is," she said, "Remember that map that we found? I looked at it. I'm sorry, Link, but this is the only way."

"_Mm-mm…"_ he replied, shaking his head.

"Please, Link…" Navi pleaded, "You have to save your friend!" Link squinted one eye open, then sighed.

"Fine," he said, "But- but, help me to see where I'm going. I really, _really_ don't want to fall."

"I will, I promise," she said, hovering closer to the vine, "Now, come on! Pretend that your… 'Link of the Jungle' or something." He nodded. With one more moment of hesitation, Link ran toward the vine, nearing the edge, when he stopped.

"I can't do it," he groaned, turning back around.

"What?" Navi said, her wings drooping, "Come on! Saria needs you! She's in trouble! You can't give up now!" Link moaned in response, but turned back around. Keeping his eyes on the bobbing fairy, he reached the edge the cliff again, but this time, his feet left the ground. He reached out, grabbing the vine as he went.

"Great!" Navi exclaimed, zooming over to the next vine, "Now, come on! Keep going!" He obeyed, swinging back and forth until he reached it. At the last moment, he remembered to let go of the last vine, fearing that he would be stuck, otherwise. He continued to follow his little companion until his feet touched the other side.

"Look!" Navi shouted happily, "You made it!" Link looked down to see his feet firmly on the ground. He let out a weak laugh of relief at the sight.

"I… I did it…" he said, "Oh, I made it! That was scary, so scary, Navi, but I made it! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," she said, "But, look here, at this door. See the lock?" He examined the door that she was shining her light upon. There was a large lock on it. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out the large key he had found.

"Do you think it'll fit?" he asked, side glancing the fairy.

"Try it," she said. Carefully, he placed the key in the lock and slowly turned it. He smiled as he heard it a loud _click_ as it unlocked. Before he realized what was happening, the lock and chains binding the door shut fell. Pain suddenly surged up through him, and he cried out.

"Are you okay?" Navi exclaimed, circling him, "What happened?"

"It…" he squeaked, "It landed on my foot…"

"Your foot?" she repeated, "It's not _broken,_ is it?"

"No, I don't think so," he said, rubbing the sore spot, "It was just the chain that landed on me. I'll be okay."

"That's good," she said, "then are you ready to open this door? There's no telling what might be behind it. Or do you need to rest for a minute?"

"No, no…" he said, shaking his head, "Let's go." Putting as little pressure on his foot as possible, Link reached for the bottom of the door and pulled up. With a rumble, it lifted up, allowing the two entry into a large room. Link looked around in awe.

"This place is _huge!"_ he said, "and look! A lake. I hadn't even realized just how thirsty I am, until now."

"Link, wait!" Navi called as the young man ran over to the water and knelt down, cupping up some and bringing it to his mouth.

"It's very good," he complimented, "Want some?"

"No, I- I've got a bad feeling about this place," she said.

"I don't see anything," Link said, glancing around, "But this place is huge, isn't it? I don't think I've _ever_ seen a room bigger than this before! See how high the ceiling-" He froze, staring at the ceiling. An enormous spider sat upon it, glaring down at him.

"N-Navi?" he said, his voice weak, "What… what is _that?"_

"Oh, no…" she moaned.

"What do you mean, _'oh, no'?"_ he said, feeling his heart begin to pound.

"That's a Gohma," she explained, "A _queen_ Gohma." Link gasped and dodged out of the way as the spider released itself from the ceiling and landed on the ground near him. It then looked up at him menacingly with its one eye.

"So… how do I beat it?" Link asked, stumbling back as he drew his sword.

"Deku nuts!" she said, "Remember the Deku nuts?"

"Yeah…?"

"Throw them at her when she gets close enough!" she directed.

"Got it," Link said, readying himself, but feeling fear creep up through him. His sword slipped through his trembling hands as the beast drew closer.

"N-no!" he shouted, realizing what he had done. The spider hissed and came faster until it had cornered Link against a wall. Feeling the creature's hot breath on his face, he stared back at it, stunned. Suddenly feeling very small again, his eyes filled with tears.

"_Papa…"_ he muttered as Gohma opened her mouth to reveal fangs dripping with venom.

"Link!" Navi shouted, drawing him back, "Use the Deku nuts, or the slingshot!" Jerking his hand into his pocket, Link pulled out a large nut. Closing his eyes, he threw it at the beast. At the sound of the monster screeching in pain, he looked to see her slumped onto the ground, her eye rolling about in confusion. He quickly stepped over its legs, and dashed for his sword, grabbing it up, and spinning back around to face Gohma, just she stumbled back up and snarled at him. In anger, the spider charged for him, but Link pulled out his slingshot and readied it. Once she was near enough, he released the stone. It crashed into her eye, to which she let out another screech of pain.

"Now, Link!" Navi called, "Finish her off with your sword!" Link put the slingshot away and lifted up the Master Sword. He ran toward Gohma, and plunged the blade into her eye just she was beginning to bring him back into focus. The spider screamed in agony, jerking away from him as he pulled the sword back out. Link watched as Gohma staggered about, unsuccessfully trying to shake off the wound. With one last terrible cry, she slumped onto the ground, dead. Link jumped in shock as she suddenly exploded, leaving only what appeared to be a shining, glass heart on the ground.

"A heart container," Link guessed, as Navi floated down beside him, "My Papa told me about these. If anyone touches one of these, it makes them stronger." He walked over to it and placed his hand on it. With a flash of light, it seemed to draw into him and vanish. He smiled as he suddenly felt a bit stronger.

"Hello…?"

He turned to see a young woman with short, green hair walking timidly toward them.

"…Saria?" he breathed, tilting his head, unsure. The woman frowned, but then narrowed her eyes as she drew nearer, studying him. Her eyes suddenly widened.

"…Link?" she said softly, "Is it… is it really you?"

"Yes!" he said with a grin, "Are you alright? I came to rescue you."

"That's funny," she said with a smile, "I came here to rescue _you."_

"You… did?" Link said, a puzzled look on his face.

"Yes," she said with a nod, "When your father came back to Lake Hylia with the news that you were missing, I wanted to help, but I was too young to go anywhere on my own. So, when I became old enough, I left to find you. I found myself here, and when I entered, something happened- I'm not exactly sure _what,_ but I heard an awful, deep voice tell me that I would never leave, and I ended up in a strange place, guarded by a giant spider. It _is_ gone, right? The spider?" She looked around the room anxiously.

"Yes, it's gone," Link assured her, "I got rid of it for you, with the help of my friend, here, Navi." Saria smiled again as Navi glided down in front of her.

"Hello," Saria said.

"Hello!" Navi replied, "Pleased to meet you!"

"So… what have you been doing here all this time?" the young woman asked, turning her attention back to her old friend.

"It's a long story," Link simply said, "But please tell me, do you know where Papa is?" She drooped slightly and sighed.

"The last I heard, he was captured by Ganondorf when he went to look for you around Hyrule Castle," she said, "Have you heard of Ganondorf?"

"I've heard of him," Link said, stiffening, "I'll need to go to Hyrule Castle, then."

"No! You can't!" Saria exclaimed, "He's too strong. Ganondorf has already taken over Hyrule. Plenty of knights have tried to stop him, but… whenever they enter the castle, they never return. I've heard the stories. I know you want to find your father, Link, but… I don't see how."

"The princesses," Link muttered.

"What?"

"There are these princesses I have to find to help me make _this,"_ he explained, holding up the Master Sword for her to see, "strong enough to defeat Ganondorf."

"Is that…" she gasped, her eyes glazing as she stared at the blade, "Is that really _the_ Master Sword?" He nodded.

"So then… that would make you…"

"The new Hero of Time," he said.

"Wait, you didn't have to travel through time, then, like the original Hero of Time did, did you?" she asked. Again, he nodded.

"Oh…" Saria moaned with pity, "You poor thing! Then all this terrible news is all new to you, isn't it? I'm so sorry you had to come back with everything like this. With your father taken and all… you can stay with my family and I!"

"Thank you for the offer, but…" Link said, reaching into his satchel and showing her the Kokiri's Emerald, "can you tell me anything about this?"

"This…" she muttered, taking it, "This is… the Kokiri's Emerald…" Link gasped as her eyes suddenly began to glow a faint green, "I am…"

"Saria?" Link said, shaking her, "Are you alright?"

"I am the princess of the forest," she said in a strange voice, _"I am Princess Farore."_ The young hero released her and stepped back.

"I can help you, hero," she said, extending a hand and placing it upon the Master Sword. From her hand seeped green energy, which seemed to fuse with the blade.

"Find the others," Princess Farore commanded.

"Saria…?" Link said softly. The light faded from the princess's eyes and she suddenly fell limp. Dropping the sword, he caught her. He sighed with relief when she finally, slowly opened her eyes.

"It's me…" she whispered, _"I'm_ Princess Farore. You don't have to explain anything. I understand, now. You have to go. Go rescue your Papa, Link. I know now that you can do it!"

"But, what about you?" Link asked, as she lifted herself back up and out of his arms.

"I will be fine," she replied, "I'll stay here and channel my new powers to you. See? Look." With a wave of her hand, a light reached out from the ground.

"I've learned so much from Farore in just a few short moments," she explained, "Now, go. Walk into the light. You must."

"But, Saria-" Link began, holding his arms out to her pleadingly.

"Don't worry about me," Saria said with a smile, "Remember, if you ever want to talk to me, call out to me with you ocarina." Sheathing his sword, Link nodded and stepped into the light, followed closely by Navi. He smiled back at friend.

"Goodbye…" he said softly as the light intensified until she was no longer visible.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

With a flash of light, Link and Navi floated down onto the grass. They looked around to see that they were just outside the Forest Temple.

"So, where to next?" Link wondered aloud.

"Next, you have to find Princess Din and Princess Nayru," Navi replied.

"Right, then," he said, "Any idea where we might find them?"

"Hmm," she said, "Probably someplace hot, and someplace wet."

"Then there we'll go," Link said, "and maybe we can find some answers back in Ordon Village. But, you know… I'm glad we're out of that last place. And, Navi?"

"Yes?"

"I never want to see another spider again."

-I don't like spiders either, Link. *shudders* I've got to say, though, when I first played through Ocarina of Time when I got the Legend of Zelda Collector's Edition for Christmas one year, Queen Gohma kind of freaked me out. It's kind of scary for a ten-or-eleven-year-old to make Link walk into a dark, creepy room to hear all of these rustling sounds, then to look up and see a giant spider-thing glaring down at you. It's not like Armogohma in Twilight Princess was any better, which is pretty much like how I imagined this Queen Gohma to look. So, with Link never having faced anything so big and scary before, I decided to make him more afraid of the dungeon boss than past Links.

Honestly, I expected this chapter to be shorter. But that's okay, right? After all, I haven't posted anything in, what, a month, at least? Plus, I've completed another bonus chapter! I'll try to post it soon.

Also, about the chain falling on Link's foot. While playing Twilight Princess, my friend and I would joke about how, whenever Link opens up a door to a boss room, it looks like the big lock on the door lands on him. So, anytime we would get to one of those doors, as soon as the lock would fall, one or both of us would say, _"Ow! My foot!"_ So… something in me begged me to use that in this story.

About Saria: it kind of annoys me that her transformation into Princess Farore happened so quickly, but the idea was that Farore sort of took over for a little bit and explained everything that was going on to Saria. After all, Farore is supposed to be powerful in the Legend of Zelda, so, I figured, why _wouldn't_ she be able to do that? Well… Link is a bit confused about it, himself, at this point. Well, next up, Link and Navi will get a couple new additions to their party in Ordon, so I'll try to finish that chapter soon! With that, my rant is done.- TwilightFairy928


	21. Missing Link: Phoeni

-Note: First of all, due to some confusion, I would like to clarify that any chapters labelled as _Missing Link_ are bonus chapters. So, if you would like to completely skip this chapter, it's not essential to the main storyline. Also, I would like to add that the character Phoeni is from a side quest in Skyward Sword. I know that she is still a rather new character in the Zelda series, but you can look her up on a Zelda wikipedia if it would help clear up any confusion. This chapter takes place during the night after chapter 7, in Hyrule Castle Town. I hope that helps!- TwilightFairy928

**Missing Link**

**-Phoeni-**

Ganondorf listened as another sob reached his ears. He did not enjoy punishing his son, despite the memories of all the times he had wanted to crush the other boys by the name of Link who opposed him in the past. The Gerudo king found this a curious thing, though perhaps, he reasoned, it was simply because he had convinced himself that this child truly _was_ his son. Ganondorf rubbed the side of face, wincing as another soft whimper escaped Link's mouth. This task of keeping the new young hero alive and on his side was a bit more complicated than he had initially imagined.

At the sound of a creaking mattress, the man, who had been resting on his bed for the night in the Stock Pot Inn at Hyrule Castle Town, rolled onto his back to see the child get up with a sniff. One hand wiping his damp eyes and the other rubbing his sore behind, Link stood up and walked toward the door of their room.

"Where are you going?" 'Siegfried' Dragmire whispered.

"Bathroom," Link replied in what was almost a gasp, as he was clearly fighting another sob.

"Very well," his father said, "I have seen it. It is to the left, down the hall, then to the right." The boy nodded, opening the door. Light seeped into the room when he did, and he left it cracked open. Ganondorf listened to the child's soft footsteps and the creak of the bathroom door. Drowsiness was weighing heavily down on him from that day's travel and excitement, and everything soon became a blur of dreams.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

A scream tore the Gerudo king from sleep. Sitting upright, he drowsily tried to focus, attempting to detect the source of the cry. The voice sounded familiar, he noticed with a feeling of dread, as his heart still hammered away at the sudden noise.

"_Papa!"_

He turned just in time to see Link stumbling into the room and toward him, one hand gripping his chest. The boy's face was etched with terror.

"What is wrong?" the man said, "Why are you trembling so?"

"Th-the bathroom!" Link gasped, "I was in there, and something came out- tried to grab me-"

"Slow down, Link," his father said, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, "I do not understand this gibberish. Now, tell me again." The boy paused, eyes darting around the room as he took a few deep breaths.

"In the bathroom," he began, "I was in the bathroom."

"Yes?"

"…and it was kind of dark," he said, "because there was only candle light. I don't know for sure what it was, but _something_ shot out of the toilet and tried to grab me!"

"_Grab_ you?" Mr. Dragmire said, frowning, "Did you happen to see what it looked like, this _'something'?"_

"W-well," Link said slowly, "it… it looked… kind of like…"

"Yes?" he pressed, "What did you see, boy?"

"It looked like a _hand."_

"A hand," his father repeated, "Are you certain?"

"No sir, I don't know if that's what it was," Link admitted, "but that's what it looked like to me." The man nodded as he rose to his feet.

"I will investigate, and you will stay here where it is safe," he announced, but then glanced darkly down at his son, "Now, after your little fright, there will not be a _mess_ for me to clean up, now will there?"

"No!" Link exclaimed with a pout, "I was only washing my face!"

"Very good," he said, "Now, stay here." Link nodded vigorously as his father walked over to the door. Mr. Dragmire sighed, feeling two small hands grab onto his leg and he looked down to see Link, his head poking out between the man and the doorframe.

"_Stay,"_ the man commanded.

Link's head disappeared and he glanced back to see the boy staring back up at him with his blue eyes wide. The child continued to back up until he bumped into the nearest bed and flopped back onto it. He scrambled back up until he sat upright on the bed and looked up at the man pleadingly.

"P-please be careful, Papa," Link said, his voice trembling, "I-I don't want anything to happen to you, o-okay? I want you to n-not get hurt be able to come back h-h-home with me." The boy nervously grabbed a blanket up from under himself and hugged it close, seemingly for comfort. Ganondorf smiled slightly at the reaction and nodded. He turned, walked out into the hallway and soon reached the bathroom. He slowly stepped inside, reaching for the candle that sat upon a small table in the room and held it over the toilet. Examining it, he carefully leaned forward for a better look. Mr. Dragmire suddenly jerked back as something attempted to grab hold of his face. Although he staggered back, the man was determined and curious, and so he held the candle up a little higher in an attempt to see what this creature was. He blinked in disbelief as a pitiful moaning emitted from the hole.

"Who…" Ganondorf muttered, finding his voice, "Who is there?" Only a groan answered him. He cleared his throat.

"_Who is there?!"_ he barked, grimacing at the toilet.

"I am…" the strange, echoing voice of a girl replied.

"Who are you…?" he asked, stepping a little closer.

"My name…" she said, "My name _was,"_ she corrected with a sob, _"Phoeni."_

"Phoeni…" he repeated, "What are you doing in there? You have frightened my son. Why have you done this?"

"I-" she replied, trying to speak through tears, "I did not _mean_ to frighten him. But I… I've been trapped here for a very, very long time. I called for someone- anyone- for help, but no one came."

"Can I get you out?" Ganondorf offered, "Reach out for me to pull you out."

"No… I…" she muttered, "…there's nothing left of me. But this…" The man gasped as a white gloved, disembodied hand extended out of the toilet. It was slightly transparent and faded into nothingness at the wrist.

"How… how are you…?" he stammered.

"They never came!" Phoeni wailed, "They left me. I do not for how long…"

"Is there…" he paused, thinking carefully, "…some way that I may assist you?"

"Paper," came the answer.

"Pardon?"

"_Paper!"_

Ganondorf stared at the thing for a few moments, then, guessing what she meant, he blindly grasped around the table upon which had sat the candle. His hand soon came in contact with what seemed to be paper. It did not feel like the kind of 'paper' that he was looking for, but it would do. He handed it to her, which she swiftly snatched away.

"Thank you…" she whispered, breaking into sobs again. He only had enough time to catch a glimpse of what he had offered her. It was a letter. Hoping that it was not anything too important, he turned to leave.

"_Wait."_

Ganondorf stopped and glanced back. The hand floated above the toilet again, but this time, it held something. He narrowed his eyes, examining the object. It was a glassy, heart shaped thing, which he recognized as a 'heart piece'.

"This is for you," Phoeni explained, before he could ask, "for helping me. This… this letter you gave me. I like it. I will find the man who wrote it." Ganondorf frowned, feeling a twinge of pity for that man, but nodded and accepted the heart piece.

"There is one thing I would like to ask of you, however," he said.

"Ask away."

"Leave my son alone," he said, "Whenever he may enter here, leave him be. He is the child that you frightened earlier. Never let him see you again."

"Agreed," she said, "Farewell, and thank you!" With that, she faded away. Ganondorf exited the bathroom and walked steadily back to the room. Link sat on the bed with his knees drawn up to his chin, staring uneasily down at his toes. When he noticed his father enter the room, he scrambled onto the floor and over to him.

"Papa!" he exclaimed, "What happened? Did you see it?"

"I saw it," Mr. Dragmire replied.

"Did you get rid of- hey, what's that?" Link said, noticing what his father held.

"This is a heart piece, boy," he explained, "They will increase your health; make you stronger, by simply touching it."

"Then, does that mean you won't have to take your medicine for a while?" the boy asked, then wrinkled his nose as he drew near it and added, "But why does it smell funny, Papa? Where did you find it? Was it in the toilet?" The man placed a hand on the child's head.

"I believe it is time for bed," he simply answered, "but I would like you to know that you will not be seeing her again."

"'Her'?" Link repeated, cocking his to one side.

"Never mind," Mr. Dragmire said, shaking his head, _"It_ is gone, and so you need worry no longer. Now, go to bed." Link frowned, but nodded. He grinned up at the man.

"Thank you, Papa," he said, "You're really, really brave! Good night!"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"Papa!" Link exclaimed, bouncing up and down, grabbing onto his father's arm, "Papa, what are we going to do today?"

"I believe that we shall be buying you some new clothes," Mr. Dragmire replied, "Din knows that you are already outgrowing everything that you have." They both turned as a tired looking young man walked into the lobby of the hotel, groaning and holding his head as he went.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" the woman at the front desk, Anju, asked him.

"I feel terrible," he moaned, "I didn't sleep well last night at all!"

"Were you uncomfortable, sir?" she said, furrowing her brow with concern.

"Oh, it's not that," he admitted, "I don't know why I feel this way. Do you know where I could find a doctor?"

"Yes, sir," she said, "Once you leave here, if you take a right and just follow the road down, you can find the doctor's office."

"Thank you," he said with a quick nod. Turning on his heel, the man hurried outside.

"I hope whatever he's got isn't contagious," Link said.

"I do not believe it is," Mr. Dragmire replied, "But I do believe I know why he is ill."

"Why, then, Papa?" the boy said, "Why is he sick?" His father smirked, knowing that 'Phoeni' had found the man she was looking for, and, with her visit, had most likely affected him for the worst with her ghostly presence.

He simply said, "I will explain it to you when you are older."

-Did you forget that Ganondorf warned Link that he would be in trouble for running away from Lake Hylia, back in chapter 5? I nearly did. But his actions come back to haunt him here, both literally _and_ figuratively. I had this idea, after playing around in Majora's Mask and playing through some of the side quests in Skyward Sword. In both games, there is a scary, sort of random hand that pops out of a toilet. So, I combined the two. I knew that Link and Ganondorf would need to stay somewhere at night while in Hyrule Castle Town, and so I remembered the Stock Pot Inn. So, instead of ? that's in Majora's Mask, I used Skyward Sword's Phoeni, instead. I figured that Link would no doubt panic at the sight of a ghostly hand reaching out for him in the middle of the night, in a bathroom of all places, and so I thought that he might come running to 'Papa' for help. Then, as you read, Ganondorf would have to deal with it. I thought it was kind of weird that you get a heart piece for helping the hand in Majora's Mask, so I wanted to add that in, too. Plus, Link mentions in that 'Arachnophobia' chapter that his father told him about heart pieces. This is when he was talking about.- TwilightFairy928


	22. Three Is a Crowd Four Is a Mess

**Chapter 18 **

**-Three Is a Crowd, Four Is a Mess- **

Link carefully stepped onto the bridge. It creaked and swayed slightly as he bent over to see through the boards down into the seemingly bottomless chasm below.

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" Navi piped up, circling around him.

"No," he replied, "but you're making me dizzy. Can you please stop that?"

"Oh," she said, deciding to bob in place, instead, "I'm sorry."

"That's okay," he said, taking another step further and peering over the ropes on the side of the bridge, _"You_ aren't afraid of heights, are you, Navi?"

"Well, no," she said, floating on ahead of him, "I fly wherever I go, don't I? My legs are too short to get very far." Link paused to stare.

"You have legs?" he said with a dumbfounded blink, before proceeding further across the bridge.

"Yes," she replied, sounding slightly annoyed, yet somewhat amused, "But never mind that. Come on!"

"Right," Link said with a nod. With one last glance of fascination down into the pit below him, he trotted after the fairy. After they had reached land on the other side, they passed by a fountain and a small, wooded clearing. Soon, they reached a familiar landmark for Link.

"Ms. Ilia's house!" he exclaimed, pointing out the tree house that he had stayed at for what only seemed to him the night before.

"You have been here, before?" Navi said, "I don't _think_ I've been here, but it looks like someplace I knew, too."

"A nice old lady let me stay here when I was first separated from my Papa," Link explained, "Ms. Ilia. Let's go see her. Maybe she can help us!"

"Link, wait!" Navi called after him as he bolted over to the tree house and scrambled up the ladder. Ignoring her, he knocked on the door. He grinned as he heard footsteps approaching. But when the door swung open, his smile faded. A blond haired woman whom he did not recognize stared back at him.

"Hello," she said, "Can I help you?"

"Is… is Ms. Ilia here?" Link asked timidly, folding his hands nervously behind his back.

"Ms. Ilia…?" the woman said with a frown, "You knew her?" Link nodded.

"How?"

"She looked after me when…" he began, but paused, trying to decide on what he could tell her and what she would believe, "…when I was ten years old, ma'am. I was separated from my… my father, so she helped me by taking care of me."

"I'm very sorry to tell you this, then," she said, "But… I'm afraid she passed away a few years ago."

"…oh," Link said softly, "I… I'm sorry to hear that. So… how did you know her?"

"She was my husband's grandmother," the woman replied, "We came to her when Ganondorf took over Hyrule. Have you come here to escape Ganondorf, too?"

"No," he said, again deciding on what to say, "I'm just… _here,_ I guess… but… hasn't _anyone_ tried to stop him?"

"Oh, yes," she said, folding her hands with worry, "Many of the knights have gone to stop him, but I am so concerned for them. One of them is my husband."

"Really?" Link asked, "What is his name?"

"_Raven."_

Link froze.

"_Sir Raven?"_ he gasped, "I've met him!"

"You have? Where and when was that, may I ask?" she said.

"In Hyrule Castle Town, seven years ago," he said, "He wouldn't recognize me now, though."

"I should think not," the woman said with a smile, "You look quite young. I would imagine that you've grown quite a bit since then. It is strange, though… you look so much like… him… what is your name?"

"Uh…" Link said, stepping back as much as he could, "Um… it's, uh… you know, I need to go. I really need to go. I'm sorry. I'll do my best to help your husband. Goodbye!" He turned, practically slid down the ladder and ran, ignoring her pleads for him to return. Only stopping once he entered the familiar village of Ordon, Link leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees as he panted.

"Why did you do that?" Navi asked, floating low, so that she remained within his view.

"When we went to Hyrule Castle Town, Papa gave me a new name: 'Silvatis'," he explained, "It was to keep me safe. He even made me look different. Now, I don't look like that at all, anymore. I thought that I should make up a new name for myself, since I look like this, now, but I couldn't think of anything. I'm not very good at coming up with names. So, I… I got scared."

"Oh, I see," she said gently, "Maybe you _should_ just stick with your own name, though."

"Why?"

"Because," she said, "You look just like my friend, now. Since you have the same face, the same clothes, and the same name, Ganondorf will probably recognize you, anyway. Besides, I think 'Link' is a very nice name."

"Thanks," he said, "Then I'll do that. 'Link' it is." He stood up and crossed his arms as he looked around, trying to remember.

"Hey," he said, "I remember meeting this lady who took care of the animals, here. Her name was, um… ah, what was her name, again…? Oh, yeah! Midna! You heard when that lady talked about Sir Raven, right?"

"I did," Navi said.

"When I stayed with her, Ms. Ilia said that he was her grandson, and that Midna was his mother. _I remember that,"_ he said proudly, "I think we should go see her. She took care of horses, too, so maybe she has one that I can ride. It would be faster getting places, then, wouldn't it?"

"Have you ever ridden a horse, before?" the fairy asked.

"A couple times…" he muttered, "But let's go, anyway. Maybe we will, at least, find _something_ that will help us."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link stepped carefully into the barn and looked around. Little had changed since he had come here seven years ago. Horses and goats shuffled around in their stalls, and he wrinkled his nose at the stench that nearly overpowered the sweet-smelling hay.

"You know," he said thoughtfully to his companion, "There was a horse, a baby, that Midna introduced me to."

"Her name wasn't _Epona,_ was it?" Navi giggled.

"How do you know that?!" he said, stopping for a moment to stare at her before continuing through the barn.

"That was really her name?" she gasped, to which he nodded, "That was the name of my friend's horse!"

"Epona?" he said.

"Yes!" she said, "You two really do have a lot in common."

"Yeah-" Link said.

"Hey! What are you doing in here?!"

They both spun around toward a stall to see a girl glaring over the low door at them.

"Oh, um," the young man began, "Hello. We were just, ah, looking for Mrs. Midna. Do you know where we could find her?"

"'_Looking for Mrs. Midna'…"_ the girl muttered mockingly, then added loudly to them, "Well, she's not here."

"Where can we find her, then?" he asked. The girl narrowed her vivid, blue eyes further and leaned against the stall door.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Oh, um," he said, standing a little straighter, "My name is Link, miss, and this is my friend, Navi."

"Hmph," she huffed, "Why do you need to see Mrs. Midna?"

"Well, I met her seven years ago," he explained, "and I was hoping she could help me. See, I'm a little lost. I need to know how to get to Hyrule Castle, and I was hoping she could help me and let me borrow a horse."

"The horses aren't for sale," she snapped, "and, anyway, you don't want to go to the castle, right now. Haven't you heard? Ganondorf took over. It's a dangerous place, now."

"I know that," Link replied impatiently, "But he's got my Pa- er, father! I have to get him back."

"Who _are_ you?" she said, unfazed.

"I _told_ you, my name is _Link!" _he growled, "Now, tell me where I can find Mrs. Midna!"

"Look," she said, "You really don't want to just go barging into the castle. You don't understand. You would be in way over your head. I know. I used to live there, and then _he_ came."

"You used to live…" he said, as realization struck him, "Wait! I know you! You're Princess Tetra!"

"Oh, great," the princess sighed, "Another reminder of my past. Like I needed _that._ I take it that you either lived in or frequently visited Hyrule Castle Town?" He shook his head.

"I've only visited it once, with my father," he replied chattily, "It was the first- and only time- I ever left home. I wasn't allowed to leave, actually. But I left anyway and, uh… got into some trouble. I met you, though, when I went to Hyrule Castle Town. That was seven years ago."

"Wait, you _met_ me?" Princess Tetra said, raising an eyebrow, "I don't remember ever meeting a boy who looks like you."

"Oh, that's because my Papa- er, my father disguised me," he explained, "He turned my hair black and my eyes brown, like his. He told me to tell everyone that my name was 'Silvatis'. Do you remember that?"

"Hey, I do remember a boy like that!" she said, "You were lost, right? You're father was that big, tall man. Zelda told me there was something up with him…"

"There's nothing wrong with my Papa!" he cried.

"Okay, okay! I'm _sorry,"_ she said, holding her hands up in defense, "I didn't mean to insult you or your 'Papa'. But… he changed the way you look? How?"

"With magic," he replied, tapping his forehead a couple of times, mimicking what he had observed his father do to him.

"He's a sorcerer?" she guessed, "What is his name?"

"Siegfried Dragmire," Link said with a proud smile.

"'_Dragmire'?"_ Princess Tetra repeated, narrowing her eyes, "I _know_ that name."

"Yes," he said, "But he's in trouble. He was captured by Ganondorf, so I need to get to Hyrule Castle so that I can save him."

"Well, if you're going, take me with you," she said, "Ganondorf took my sister, too."

"Princess Zelda?" he recalled, "What about the king and queen?" The princess cast her gaze mournfully to the floor.

"…oh," he said softly, "I understand. What about Prince Sheik? Is he alright?"

"My brother is alright. I've seen him," she answered, looking back up at him, "But… I need to save my sister. She's been trapped at the castle for a long time. I don't even know if she is still alive or not." He sighed, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

"Look," he said, "I don't-"

"Hello, there!"

They looked to the barn entry to see the aging Midna standing there, her hands resting on her hips.

"What are you doing, sneaking into in my barn, boy?" she demanded, though a hint of smile betrayed her seriousness, "Flirting with my pretty, young helper, are you?"

"I, uh, n-no ma'am!" Link sputtered, his eyes wide, "I was just, um-"

"Do I know you?" she interrupted, "You look awfully familiar."

"Link, ma'am," he introduced himself, "I came here-"

"_Seven years ago!"_ she finished, "I thought so! See, I never forget a face. Even though, I must say, your's has changed quite a bit. What are you doing back here?"

"I need to get to Hyrule Castle. My father is in trouble," he explained, "Can you help me?" Midna hummed thoughtfully as she looked him up and down.

"I think I can," she said after a few moments, "Need a horse, I'm assuming?"

"Yes, ma'am!" he said, grinning, "Would you mind if I borrowed one?"

"You know how to ride?" she asked. Her smile broadened knowingly as his faded, and she said, "You'll need to learn how to ride and take care of a horse before I let you borrow any of them. I don't want you hurting yourself or any of my horses. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am…" he replied softly, hanging his head.

"Oh, now, don't go looking like a kicked puppy!" she said, "I can teach you."

"Really?" Link said, "Thank y-"

"Let _me_ teach him!" Princess Tetra interrupted, "Or, better yet, I can take him there."

"Now, Tetra," Midna said, "You know that it's dangerous there. This boy has, at least, a sword to protect him."

"And I will have _him_ to protect me," she insisted, _"I_ know how to ride. _I_ know how to take care of a horse. _I_ can get us there!"

"Well…"

"Wait, wait, wait," Link said, shaking his head, "If it's me and my fairy friend, plus a horse, that's okay. But Princess Tetra, too? I mean… I know that even three is a crowd, but four is just… four is just a _mess!"_

"A… a _mess?!"_ the princess snapped, "How _dare_ you?! I offer to help you, and you call me a _mess?!"_

"I think that Link just means-" Navi spoke up.

"_Quiet!"_ she spat, "I know what I'm doing! Now, you listen to me-"

"Stop this, both of you!" Midna shouted, startling all of them, "I'm not going to let any of you go, if this how you're going to act. You'll just get yourselves killed. Now, I was thinking that perhaps Tetra could ride you over there, if you truly feel you must go, now, Link, although I wouldn't recommend it. But maybe I shouldn't let either of you go. That fairy has a better chance of surviving than you right now. You will both need a little training, I think, before I let you go _anywhere."_

"Training?" Link asked, "What kind of training?"

"The kind of training that will teach you watch your mouths and keep your tempers, for one thing," she said, "and do you even know how to use that metal on your back, boy?"

"…no," he replied, gently sliding his hand around the hilt of the Master Sword.

"I didn't think so," Midna said.

"What about magic?" he suggested, "We could learn to use that. My father taught me how to use a little magic."

"I can't teach you that," she said.

"Hey, but I know who can!" Link said, the grin returning to his face, "My great-aunts!"

"Where do they live?"

"At Lake Hylia," he answered, becoming more and more eager to return home, "That's where I live; with them and my father. They can teach me."

"What about me?" Princess Tetra said, pushing open the short door and stepping out of the stall, "I mean, won't you be alright without me?"

"I know you want to save your sister, Tetra," Midna said, "But if you leave, I don't want you doing something as foolhardy as going straight to castle. You'll get yourself captured, too, or worse. If you go, I want you to go directly to Lake Hylia, where it's still safe."

"It _is_ safe there?" Link said, with a sigh of relief.

"You don't know?" Midna said, "How long has it been since you have been home?"

"I guess…" he paused, thinking, "Seven years?"

"Oh…!" she gasped, "So you never did get back to your Papa? I remember you were waiting for him; that you called him that." He shook his head, his chest feeling tight at the memory of his hand almost reaching his father's.

"You poor thing," she said, "Then it's settled. Tetra, I will let you take him back home, but I want you to come straight back- with someone to help keep you safe, mind you- once you have had time to rest there for a bit. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!" the princess said eagerly, "So… who will we ride?"

"Saddle up Epona," Midna directed, and called after her as she dashed to ready the horse, "Don't forget to teach this boy her song and you take of yourself, you hear me? And Miss Fairy?"

"Navi, ma'am," the little, blue fairy replied as politely as she could.

"Navi, look after these too, will you?" she asked, "Keep my Tetra and the boy out of trouble, alright?"

"I will!" Navi promised.

"Good," Midna said, turning her attention back to Link, "Protect the princess. Please. I've looked after her ever since her brother brought her here several years ago. She means so much to me."

"I'll keep her safe," he assured her, "and, thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me go. It's been a long time since I've been home," he said. She smiled.

"Good luck to you," Midna said.

"Hey!" Princess Tetra called. They turned to see her perched upon the back of the fully grown Epona, smirking down at them.

"So what are we waiting for? Climb on!" she shouted, "We ride to Lake Hylia!"

-I hate getting writer's block, don't you? I basically knew how I wanted this chapter to go, but I wasn't quite sure how to start it. But I think my chapters are getting longer! Then again, this chapter had a lot more dialog than action. And don't worry, Midna does remember to tell the overly excited Tetra to pack some clothes and provisions before they go.

I do have a question for you. I would like to announce, first of all, that a sequel is in the works! I won't start posting chapters for it until this one is completed, of course, but I'm already planning it out. Secondly, I have another story that I'm working on, although it doesn't really have anything to do with this story. It's a pre-Majora's Mask story that is much darker than anything I've written before, but once I start posting chapters for it, I'll still be more focused on this one. Besides, that story will probably only be about half as long as this one will be. But I digress. My question for you is this: I've been considering writing a separate side story explaining things from Ganondorf's point of view, plus a clearer, much more detailed explanation on what he has been doing while Link has been gone for those seven years. What are your opinions on this?

By the way, it just occurred to me that today marks the fifth anniversary since I first joined ! I think my writing has improved quite a bit since I first joined. This website has helped me out a lot with that, as have you, my readers! Thanks _so_ much for your reviews. They really, truly are appreciated. I've noticed that this story is my most popular by far, and although it's a little intimidating, I'll do my best to try to make this story the best that it can be!- TwilightFairy928


	23. Missing Link: Necrophobia

This is yet another bonus chapter, in celebration of Halloween! I'll admit- just as a heads up- this chapter ended up being just a tiny bit darker than usual.

I haven't had much time to work on Tangled In Time lately, mostly because of school, but I'm trying to force in a little time. I've had the idea for this chapter for a while now, as I have already established that Link is necrophobic, that is to say, he has an extreme fear of the dead. This bonus chapter explains why. But, no worries about the main storyline! I'm trying to work on that, too. It's already part-way done and I'm going to attempt to get it done as soon as possible.

By the way, I thought that I should give you a good idea of where things take place here. Because it takes place before the main part of the story, this is at Lake Hylia. Has anyone gone into any of the Lantern Caves, before? The one in this story is actually in Twilight Princess! It's known as 'Lantern Cavern 2' in my game guide. Where the kids are camping out happens to be where that cannon is that takes you to the City in the Sky, and Link's house is right next to where you first meet Auru, at that tower. I hope that helps!

**Missing Link **

**-Necrophobia-**

"I don't believe you," Link said flatly, resting his cheek against his fist. Looking bored to emphasize his point, he watched Mido through the dancing flames of the campfire. Falbi sat next to him, trembling, while Saria narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"I didn't ask you, _squirt,"_ the older boy spat, "and anyway, it's true. That cave, there, is supposed to be haunted by this Gerudo girl that got too close to the edge of the desert to see Lake Hylia. They say she fell and hit the ground right in front of the cave."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Saria argued, sitting up straighter, "The Gerudo Desert is over _there,"_ she pointed toward the desert high above the lake, "and the cave is way over _there._ That's just not possible."

"Maybe a giant Keese carried her over there," Mido said with a shrug, "That's just the story that I heard. But even if it's not true-"

"It _can't_ be," Saria said.

"-there's _definitely something_ in there, but nobody knows exactly what it is," he finished.

"Sometimes at night, when he's closing down _'Falbi's Flight By Fowl',_ my father sees a light bobbing around in front of the cave," Falbi said, staring wide-eyed into the fire. He shuddered as he hugged his knees.

"See?" Mido said with a smug smile, "I've seen a light, like a lantern floating around in front of that cave, too!"

"Well, _I_ haven't," Saria said, shaking her head, "and I haven't heard anything about this story. Link, have you heard about this before? You live very close to the cave, so do you know if your aunts or your papa know anything about this?"

"If they've seen anything or have heard this story before, they haven't told me," Link replied, shaking his head.

"I bet that's just because _Papa_ didn't want to give his _little boy_ any nasty _nightmares,"_ Mido said with a snicker.

"_That's not true!"_ Link spat, standing up and balling his hands into fists, "They haven't told me, because they must not have seen _anything!"_

"But, what about what _my_ father saw…?" Falbi said timidly.

"It was probably just a fairy or something," he replied, waving a hand, "Mido, there are _no_ ghosts in there. I bet you just made up that story to scare us. You've never actually seen anything around that cave, have you?"

"Oh, fine," Mido said as an impish smirk spread across his lips, "If that's what you think, then why don't you go in there and _prove_ that I'm wrong? Unless you're too much of a _cucco, _that is…" Link grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes.

"No, Link, don't even think-" Saria began.

"I'll do it!" he announced, "I'll go in there and _prove_ that you're just a liar!"

"_No, Link!"_ Saria exclaimed, standing up to grab his arm, "Can't you see he's tricking you? Please don't go. Even if there aren't any ghosts in there, there's no telling what might be in there. You could get hurt!"

"I don't care," he said, jerking away from her, "I'm going."

"It's really dark in there," Falbi pointed out.

"We brought lanterns to find our way out here, remember?" Link said, snatching his up from off of the ground, "I'll just take that. It's enough." He swept the lantern out into the flames of the fire, lighting it. Saria shook her head as her friend began to walk away.

"I'll tell your papa!" she threatened. He paused, glancing back at her over his shoulder.

"Don't bother," he said, "I don't need him. I can handle this on my own." Link then broke into a run, ignoring her and Falbi's calls and Mido's mocking laughter.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Saria bolted up the hill, dragging Falbi along behind her. As they passed the cave that Link had just entered, they could still barely see the light of his lantern. Within moments, they could tell that either he had rounded a corner or was swallowed by the darkness.

"We're not going in after him, are we?" Falbi asked her, "because I don't know how much use we would be to him if something really _is _down there."

"No, we won't go down there," Saria confirmed, "Not _alone,_ at least. We're going to tell Mr. Dragmire what happened. He's big and strong enough to fight off whatever might be in there. Besides, he _is_ Link's father. I mean, I do hate to get Link in trouble, but…"

"That's better than adding his soul to the rest of the haunts, right?" he guessed.

"I hope so," she said, "We don't know how much trouble he'll be in once his father rescues him from Farore-knows-what."

"I think that we're doing the right thing," Falbi assured her. Reaching their friend's home, they rushed up the front steps and knocked on the door. Within a few moments, the door opened, revealing one of Link's aunts.

"Hello," she greeted them sleepily, "I hope you realize what time it is. Is there a problem?"

"Yes!" the two said at once.

"We need to speak with Mr. Dragmire!" Saria said, "It's about Link." The witch narrowed her bulging, orange eyes, as if debating whether or not to believe them. But after a few moments, she nodded.

"Wait here," she said simply, closing the door.

"Do you think that Link will be alright?" Falbi said, biting his lip.

"I don't know. But he'll have his papa going in to get him out, soon," Saria replied hopefully. After a couple of minutes had passed, the door flew open to reveal a very clearly concerned Mr. Dragmire.

"What has happened to Link?" he asked, his eyes cutting back and forth between the two children. Saria glanced nervously over at Falbi before answering.

"Link's in trouble."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link felt his breath catch in his throat as his heart began to pound. The courage he had entered into the cave with had recently begun to wane as he noticed a few odd shadows moving about just beyond the reach of his lantern's light. He attempted to calm himself down, if only a tiny bit, by convincing himself that it was merely the way the flames flickered about in his lantern that caused such seemingly moving shadows. But something still nagged at the back of his mind that told him that this was far from true.

"This is stupid," Link huffed, trying to regain some courage, "There's nothing in here. Mido was wrong. I'm _proving_ him wrong _already! _I'll look around a little more, then go back to tell him _myself_ that there's nothing-"

Link froze with a gasp as he felt as though his blood had turned to ice. A long, agonizing moan echoed throughout the cave. He tried to form words to respond, or at least run, but he couldn't move. It was as if his entire body was paralyzed, ignoring his will to move. He waited a long time before attempting to budge again. Finally, when the echo had long died away, he felt that he could move again and breathed a sigh of relief. He took a step back, away from where he had heard the horrible sound, deciding that it was either the wind or a cruel trick by Mido.

Something that caught his eye quickly caused him to change his mind. A blue light bobbed far down a tunnel, rattling as it did. Link raised his lantern higher with a frown as he narrowed his eyes in curiosity. A small, hopeful smile formed on his previously terrified face.

"Saria…?" he called, noticing how weak his voice sounded and tried again, this time much louder, _"Saria!_ Is that you?" He sighed and grinned when the blue lantern paused and then began to move toward him.

"Why did you follow me?" he said, "I told you not to-"

Link stared, his eyes wide, as the lantern drew nearer. There was no one there. The lantern was merely floating toward him on its own. The boy staggered back, feeling himself bump into something. Trembling, he slowly looked up and felt as though his heart would stop. Staring down at him, or perhaps merely sensing him, were two empty eye sockets that were sunken deep into a decaying face. The jaw of the horrible face seemed to unhinge, it dropped so low, and released a nightmarish, bloodcurdling scream.

Link yelled back in horror. Everything then faded to black as he sunk numbly onto the stone floor.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

'Siegfried' Dragmire stood at the entrance of the cave, holding his lantern high. He scanned the depths of the cavern as well as he could with the dim light. Hurrying forward, he turned left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of the small boy.

"_Link!"_ Ganondorf bellowed, pausing to listen as his own voice echoed, drifting farther and farther away. When he received no answer, he called again for his son. His only reply was, again, his echo. Rushing down one of the darkened paths, a faint light drew his attention. Hope flooded through him for a few moments, until he realized that this light was blue instead of a normal fire.

"A poe…" the man sighed. The thing quietly rattled off, away from him. He shook his head and continued his search as worry began to nag at him again. As he considered approaching the poe to see if it might lead him to his son, he stopped. The scream of a child filled the cavern and the sound bounced eerily off of the stone walls.

"_Link!"_ Ganondorf called again, bolting in the direction of the cry, _"Where are you? I am here!" _Grateful that he was still fairly strong even with his large scar of a wound, the man tightened his grip around the long, dangerously sharp knife that he had been careful to place in his belt.

Rounding a corner, he stopped as his light fell on the soulless features of a Redead. To his horror, the crumpled form of a small boy lay at its feet, his golden blond hair concealing his face, leaving his father with little idea as to if he was still alive or not. The ghastly creature then lifted its head toward the man. Ganondorf could feel an old rage swell up within him, as it had in battles past. He had been so careful for nearly a decade, keeping this little boy safe from harm, and now this monster may have killed him.

The anger built up inside him until it burst, within only a few seconds, as he pulled out his knife. The Redead screamed at him in an attempt to paralyze him, but it did nothing as the tall, muscular man leapt onto the thing, piercing into it with the blade. With one last agonizing cry, it fell limply onto the ground. Kicking it over, Ganondorf jerked the blade out and placed it back in his belt. Because the monster was already dead, it left no blood.

Kneeling, the father bent over to inspect the boy. Lifting up the tiny frame into his arms, Ganondorf was relieved to see that his son was still breathing. With a sigh as he began to feel the pain that would require his usual blue medicine to relieve, he carried Link out of the cave and back to their home.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"Hold still, boy."

"But it _hurts!"_ Link whined, "I don't like this medicine. It burns!"

"You have scraped your leg in that cave. You are fortunate, because it could have much worse than this," his father reminded him, "This will help you heal, so I must put it on you. _Whether you like it or not."_ he added as the boy opened his mouth to protest.

"I _don't_ like it…" Link muttered, crossing his arms and pouting.

"You should not have been in that cave to begin with," Mr. Dragmire said, causing his son to blush.

"Am I in trouble?" the boy asked, biting his lower lip.

"I believe you have learned your lesson," his father replied, "However, if you have not…"

"No, I have!" he said quickly, "I don't _ever_ want to go in there, ever again! I don't want to have to see another one of those… those _things_ again."

"That creature was known as a _Redead,"_ the man said, "As their name implies, they have died, but were reanimated, or brought back to life."

"How?"

"There are many dark forces in the world, Link," he replied, "However, I do wish to know this: why did you decide to enter that cave at all?"

"Mido…" Link muttered, looking away with a scowl, "He was teasing me again. He called me a _'cucco'."_

"A 'cucco'? Mr. Dragmire mused, "And did you think it would prove you to be so brave to enter that cave on your own, or do you think that it was, perhaps, foolish?"

"Well…"

"Perhaps Mido was only trying to trick you into entering the cave?" he suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe…" the boy replied softly, then pouted as he balled his hands into fists, "But he started it! He was picking on me!"

"_Link,"_ his father said firmly, "Listen to me, not that boy. Do _not_ keep allowing that boy to control you and your temper. Do you understand me?"

"But he-"

"Link, please…" he said gently.

"…okay. I'll try," the child said with a huff, "Um… are you done putting that medicine on me? Because I really, really don't want anymore."

"Yes. That should be enough," the man chuckled, "Now, hurry off to bed."

"But… what about the campout and my friends?" Link said.

"I believe you have had enough excitement for one night," he replied, "Besides, I have already sent them home, for their safety."

"_Will the monsters come out of the cave?!"_ the boy gasped, his eyes becoming wide with fear.

"No, no," his father replied, "I do not believe so. Even they did decide to, I would protect you and keep them outside."

"Promise?" Link said, slowly sliding off of the table he had been placed on.

"I promise," Mr. Dragmire said, lightly placing his hand on the boy's head with a smile. Link started to turn toward his room, but paused, slowly leaning back apprehensively.

"What is the matter?" the man asked.

"Can I…" he said softly.

"What?"

"Can I, uh…" Link said, turning back around, "maybe… stay with you? Just tonight?"

"Why?"

"I just…" the child muttered, playing with the base of his shirt, "I just want you to be there… if they come here." Mr. Dragmire sighed and smiled as he shook his head.

"I suppose. Very well," he answered. The boy's eyes lit up as he grinned.

"Then come on!" Link said, tugging at his father's hand, "I know that you'll protect me and Aunt Koume and Aunt Kotake from those nasty, ugly, creepy poes and re-thing… whatever's! But when _I'm_ as big as _you_ are, Papa, then _I_ can protect _you_ and beat- well, maybe not beat them… I don't really want to see one of those ever again. Never, ever again! But, um, I can… uh… keep you away from them by getting a really big rock and covering that dark, creepy, old cave up! Then we'll be safe! Right?"

Ganondorf only smiled and nodded at his 'son's' chatter, knowing how dependant that the child was on him. He only hoped that it would stay that way.

-Yet another chapter named after a phobia! Yay! Uh, anyway… Happy Halloween! And yes, it occurred to me after I wrote this that it probably seemed weird that four fairly young kids were camping out on their own, without supervision. Maybe this can be a lesson or something, like: "Don't leave your kids alone with campfires while telling ghost stories, because a zombie-monster might come and scream at them"… or something. I don't know. Anyway, I do apologize for not having the next main chapter ready yet, but, like I mentioned, I haven't had much time lately and I really wanted to have this one ready by October 31st. I barely finished it in time! So, when I have some more free time, I'll try to get to work on that next main storyline chapter. But I do hope that you enjoyed the Tangled In Time 'Halloween Special'!- TwilightFairy928


	24. An Encounter With Trouble

**Chapter 19 **

**-An Encounter With Trouble- **

Link tried desperately not to crush the thin frame that sat before him on Epona. He was still not accustomed to horse riding and was not so certain that he enjoyed bouncing so violently up and down that he felt as though he could tumble off at any given moment. Despite his fears, he did not want to squish or harm his new companion, Tetra, in any way, and so he tried to loosen his grip as much as possible. She seemed rather indignant about it, which led him to assume that he was either hurting her or she still just did not like him. That seemed to make sense to him, because he did not like her very much, either.

The young man could not help but worry, though, at her obvious discomforts, as he recalled the bloody scratches he had left on his father's arm when they arrived at Hyrule Castle Town. He winced at the memory, hoping that Tetra would not hold a grudge against him for holding so tightly on to her. She had already snapped at him as to where to hold on to her. At first, she insisted that he hold on to her shoulders, but when Link nearly flew off of Epona down one particularly steep hill, she allowed him to hold onto her waist. _Carefully,_ she had added. He assumed that she must be sore from the ride as well.

"Are we almost there…?" Link asked, nervously tightening his legs around Epona's sides.

"You asked me that only a few minutes ago!" Tetra barked back.

"Sorry…" he said softly. She sighed.

"_Yes,_ we are almost there," she said, "See the bridge? Or what's left of it…"

"Oh, yes!" he exclaimed, peeking around her, "I've been there before, just there, see? Of course, I wasn't _supposed_ to be there…"

"What?"

"Nevermind."

"Right… well, I don't think that we should go down there tonight," Tetra said.

"Wait, what?" he said, shaking his head and leaning closer to her, "Why?"

"Look, can't you see?" she said, pointing at the sky, "It's getting dark. It might not be safe to try to get down there at night."

"She's probably right, Link," Navi said. She had been hiding inside Link's hat for the duration of the ride and had remained silent until then.

"But, why can't we try anyway? I'm almost home. I want to be there tonight," he said.

"Yeah, but I don't know how to get down there," Tetra said, "Do _you_ know how to get down there?"

"I- uh, um… well… no," he admitted. He had gotten _out_ of there as before when he had attempted to find his father, but it occurred to him that he never had had the opportunity to learn how to get back down to Lake Hylia.

"So, then," he said, "where do you want to make camp, princess?"

"_Pfft, princess…"_ she muttered with a look as if the words alone tasted horrible, "How about there?" she pointed to a clearing near the bridge, overlooking the lake.

"We'll get a nice view from there," Tetra said, "That way, we can see how things are going there, in case Ganondorf's men have overrun the place. Sound good?"

"Right, okay," he said with a nod, "Oh, I really hope that my aunts and friends are alright."

"Well, you've got that big sword on your back, right?" the girl said, slowing and stopping Epona, then climbing down, "I mean, what do you think you use it for? Cooking?"

"No," he said with an unintentional pout, "I use it to fight things."

"That's right," she said, "So you can use it to defend us if anything comes lurking around tonight. Uh, what are you waiting for? Get down and help me set up!"

"Right…" Link mumbled, contemplating exactly how he would do so. The one time he had painlessly gotten off of a horse was when his father had helped him. The other time was when he fell, which had happened to be the moment that separated them and was the turning point that left him in his current predicament. He shuddered at the memory.

"What's the matter?" Tetra said, placing her hands on her hips impatiently, "Don't you know how to get down?" He wrinkled his nose in protest, then shifted side to side, deciding on what he should do. Carefully removing his hat, he released Navi.

"Are you okay?" the fairy said.

"Just… um…" he replied, finally attempting to swing one leg over Epona. Losing his grip, he stumbled onto the ground and fell.

"_Link!" _Navi shrieked, circling him, "Are you okay?"

"_Very _graceful," Tetra sighed.

"I'm- I'm fine," he stammered, staggering onto his feet.

"No you're not," the girl said, pointing to her head and rolling her eyes. Link glared at her as he stumbled over to pick up his fallen hat. She grinned, shaking her head.

"Come on and help me gather some wood, Twinkletoes, and we'll make a fire with it," Tetra said, "We're going to need it."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"There are monsters?"

"Many."

"Are there… any ghosts?"

"There are probably a few poes around here."

"Can we go somewhere else, then…?"

"_No."_

Link shifted nervously, glancing around into the surrounding darkness. He shivered, despite the warmth of the night, and hugged his knees. The fire offered some light and thus comfort for him, but he still couldn't help but feel a little unnerved.

"What's the matter with you?" Tetra said, "What are you so afraid of? I mean, so what if there _are_ a few creeps nearby? You've got that nice big sword to protect you, don't you?"

"I…don't like dead things," he replied stiffly. She leaned toward the direction of his gaze to catch his attention, but his eyes were continuously darting around.

"You're not a very good warrior, are you?" she said. He frowned and cut his gaze over to her, staring at her only out of the corners of his eyes.

"You haven't seen what I've done," Link replied, "You have no idea what I've been through."

"Like what?" she scoffed, "What heroic thing could _you_ have possibly done, you who are afraid of the dark?"

"I fought my way through the Forest Temple to save my friend," he said, "by defeating all sorts of creatures. Monsters, mostly like skulltula and Queen Gohma."

"You fought a gohma?" Tetra said, raising an eyebrow.

"A _queen_ gohma," he said with a smirk, "Is _that_ heroic enough for you?"

"Look," she sighed, "You must be tired and hungry, because I think you're getting a little delusional."

"'Delusional'?" he repeated.

"I think you might be just imagining that you did that. Maybe you just dreamed that you did that because you're probably tired and hungry," she suggested, "So maybe you should-"

"_I didn't dream it!"_ he shouted.

"He really _did_ do it…" Navi added quietly.

"Alright, alright, fine!" Tetra said, throwing her hands up in defense, "You didn't dream it. I'll let you believe that, okay? But look, see?" she reached into a bag that sat beside her and pulled something out, "See this? This is the meat from what I caught earlier. I may be a princess, but I've learned how to take care of myself. I'm going to cook it, and Mrs. Midna sent some bread and water along with us, too. Do you want some?" Link glared at the food for a few moments as if it were poisonous, then slowly nodded. He hadn't eaten in quite a while.

"Okay, then," she said, "Do you know how to cook?" He frowned, then shook his head.

"I didn't think so," Tetra sighed, "Well, it will probably be faster if I do it myself, so why don't you entertain yourself and see what you can see down at Lake Hylia?" He again nodded, slowly stood and stretched. Link then made his way, followed by Navi, over to the railings that overlooked Lake Hylia. He gazed down and smiled at the familiar sight.

"It's beautiful," his friend said.

"Yes, it is," he agreed, leaning against the fence.

"So this is your home?" she asked, "This is where you grew up?"

"Yes," he said, "and this is where I hope to at least find my aunts and a friend of mine, named Falbi. I miss them."

"How long have you been away?" Navi asked, gliding a little farther over the ledge.

"Seven years," he honestly answered, "but I was asleep for most of that time since I left."

"You slept for seven years?!" she gasped, "Just like my friend!"

"The 'Hero of Time', right?" he said, "I… _I_ am the new Hero of Time."

"Oh, wait, yes!" she recalled, "I _do_ remember you mentioning that to your friend, Saria."

"I suppose, since I _am_ a hero, everyone will be expecting me to save all of Hyrule. That's kind of a scary thought," the young man admitted, "But I have to, at the very least, rescue my Papa. I _have_ to! Whatever it takes. Then, maybe he could help me."

"I'll help, too, for as long as you need me," Navi offered.

"Thanks."

A scream suddenly shattered the calmness. Alarmed, Link and Navi spun around to see Tetra attempting to dodge the hooves of a great, black horse.

"_Noctis!"_ Link gasped, "Noctis, what are you doing here?! _Stop!"_ The enormous horse dropped his front hooves on the ground with an impressive _thud._ He glared at the boy, then trotted over to him. Link attempted to duck out of the way, but Noctis bit onto his tunic, pulling him closer. The horse then released him and whinnied.

"Do you… do you know where my Papa is?" Link asked him slowly. The horse dipped his head in a nod, as the young hero recalled how clever his father's horse really was.

"Can you take me to him?" he said. Noctis turned to the side, and Link noticed for the first time that the horse already had a saddle on his back.

"That's wonderful!" the young man exclaimed.

"But… what about the other two princesses?" Navi whispered.

"Oh…" he said, "You're right. Noctis, I can't go, yet. There's something I need to do, first." The horse promptly snorted in his face. Link cringed and wiped the goo off of his face.

"Look, at least let me talk to my aunts, to let them know that I'm alright," he pleaded. The horse glared at him.

"I'll let you take me to him later on," Link promised, "I really _do_ want to see him. Honest! You know how much I love my father, don't you, Noctis? I would go and find him even if you didn't come. Does _that_ make you feel any better about leaving me? Give me time. Come back for me sometime later and I _promise_ that I'll go with you." The horse continued to stare down at him for a few more moments before backing away. He turned to leave, but paused in front of the trembling Princess Tetra and snorted on her. He then turned and galloped off into the night.

"He knows where to find Papa," Link confidently told Navi, "Noctis is very clever. He'll come back to me and take me straight to my father when I need him to."

"_Ewww!"_ Tetra wailed, "Gross! Look what that monster of a horse did to me!"

"Did you at least save the food?" Link asked.

"Yes," she growled, "I saved your _precious_ food. No, don't worry about me. I might just be contaminated or something."

"Haven't you been around horses for a long time, now?" Navi giggled, "I would think that things like this would happen to you all the time." Tetra glared at the little ball of blue light.

"So, now," Link said with a grin, "I'd like some of that meat, now." The princess reached down and picked up what looked like a kabob and thrust it at him. He took it as his grin widened.

"This isn't bad," he commented, after taking his first bite.

"Kargaroc," Tetra muttered as she attempted to wipe off her face with the red bandanna she seemed to always be wearing. She snatched up a kabob and sat down across the fire from him.

"So," Link said, "Can you tell me what happened at the castle, and why you live with Mrs. Midna?"

"You want to bring that up now?" she sighed, "Fine. I guess you should know, since you seem to be pretty clueless about all the horrible things that have happened to Hyrule. The evil man from the legends, Ganondorf, came to Hyrule suddenly, with an army of minions, everything from keese to moblins. It was strange, really, as there was no real warning, except… except that my sister, Zelda, told me that she kept having these horrible nightmares. She kept dreaming about Hyrule Castle surrounded by this awful, pitch black thunderstorm. But she told me that she also dreamed about light breaking through the dark clouds and blowing them away to nothing. Zelda knew what was going to happen, but only our brother Sheik and I believed her. Sheik… I miss my brother. He escaped when Hyrule Castle was taken over. With Ganondorf having killed our parents, he tried to save both my sister and I, but he only managed so rescue me. Zelda is still locked away at the castle, if she's even still alive- and I believe she is- and I was brought to Ordon Village and was taken in by Mrs. Midna and her family, where I've been ever since."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Link said, bowing his head, "My father was taken by Ganondorf, too. I have to save him. That was his horse that you saw- Noctis. He can take me to my father. When I go, I'll do whatever I can to save Princess Zelda, too."

"Well, Sheik is still alive. We can all go and stop Ganondorf. _Destroy_ him, if we have to. He ruined _everything,"_ she said bitterly.

"I'll help you," he said, "but first, I need to go to my aunts. They're witches. Maybe they can help."

-Oh. My. Goodness. School has been absolutely insane for me over the past couple of months! I've been trying to complete this chapter for quite a while, now, and just haven't been able to get the time that I needed. That last bonus chapter was actually meant to be a nice warm up for this chapter, so I could sort of vent any random creativity beforehand (aside from what I needed for this chapter. Bonus chapters help me get that randomness out of my system. Besides, what I mentioned in it will be brought to light very soon). By the way, in case anyone didn't notice, this story has elements that are indeed based off of the Disney movie, 'Tangled' (hence the title). Take Noctis, for example. He is strongly based on Maximus. Link's initial situation of being kidnapped by Ganondorf and believing that that man is his parent is based on, of course, the situation with Rapunzel and Mother Gothel. As for Navi, she's sort of the Pascal of the story. Sort of, anyway, but I would imagine that that isn't as obvious, and it wasn't intended to be as obvious. While Link has a story somewhat based on Rapunzel's, Tetra's personality was partly inspired by Flynn Rider's, as she is 'street-smart', if you will, and cocky. The two don't particularly get along at first, but Link still needs Tetra as a guide, just as Rapunzel needed Flynn as a guide to see the floating lights. Now, on that note, I would like to mention that the next chapter will also have a part in it that is based very strongly on a scene in 'Tangled'. Even the title is named after a song on the soundtrack. Yeah… I'm a Disney nerd. But I'll try to have it done and posted soon, if school doesn't eat me alive first.

One last thing: I meant to reply, and I apologize if didn't, because I don't believe I did, but ThunderClouds7 pointed out something to me about the Redead in that last 'Missing Link' chapter. I got the details about the Redead wrong, saying that it had no blood. I was trying to keep it K+, but you were right. I love to read ghost stories, having had multiple freaky experiences myself, but I don't watch enough zombie movies and I need to read up on these things. *face palm* Nice job pointing that out, though, ThunderClouds7, and I appreciate the information so I can use it in the future.

Two weeks 'til Christmas! Are you excited? I sure am! Maybe I'll end up posting a 4:00-in-the-morning-chapter again. So, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! -TwilightFairy928


	25. Kingdom Dance

**Chapter 20 **

**-Kingdom Dance- **

Link groaned as the light of morning stretched across the land. He forced one eye partway open, then, deciding against waking up, snapped it close again and curled tighter into a ball. He gripped his hat, which he had been attempting to use as a pillow. A tiny shriek forced him into wakefulness. He sat upright and sleepily looked around for the source of the yelp. Finding nothing, he yawned and tried to lay back down.

"Please watch out for me!" Navi squeaked, "I was sleeping on your hat, too, remember? You squished me then you almost laid on top of me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Link replied drowsily as he rubbed his eyes, "Are you okay? I didn't break a wing, did I?"

"No," she said, lifting herself into the air to prove it, "I'm alright."

"That's good," he nodded, "So, it's morning already? I hardly slept. How about you?"

"I slept fairly well," Navi said, "Your hat is very soft, Link."

"Yeah, it is," he admitted, putting it on, "But I wish I could be tiny like you, if only for the night, so I could curl up in it like a bed, too. Anyway, I guess we should wake up the princess, eh? I hope she's not grumpy in the mornings. My Papa could be, sometimes, back home, and so could my aunts. They're scary when they're grumpy."

"Oh?" Navi said, perching on his shoulder, "What do they look like?"

"In the mornings?" he said, "Ah, you mean just normally, right? Well, they're both short and they have white hair and _huge_ bulging eyes. Kind of like bugs. Just imagine what it looks like when they wake up and they don't want to- those big eyes get even bigger and look like they'll pop out! Anyway, my great-aunts are twins; identical twins. You know, they look exactly alike? But the way that _I_ can tell them apart is by what they each always wear. One of them always has blue in her clothes, while the other one always wears red. Once you can figure out which witch wears which, you can tell them apart, see?"

"I see!" the fairy said, "Are there any other twins in your family?"

"Not that I know of," he said, "I only have my great-aunts and my Papa. That's all. Now, I need to get down _to_ them, so I can let my aunts know that I'm okay. Where's Tetra?"

"She's that ball over there," Navi giggled, "Remember when you said she could have the blanket for the night? The princess is still bundled up and asleep."

"Oh, no, no," Link sighed, shaking his head, "We can't have that." He walked over and began to prod the brown lump of blanket with his foot.

"Wake up, princess, it's morning…" he said softly, remembering how his father had awakened him when he was sick once. Though the man's voice had been a bit gruff, as it always was, but he made it very quiet, as Link's long, pointed ears had been particularly sensitive that day. The young man was hoping that handling the situation in such a gentle way would let Tetra act a bit more cheerful. But despite his intentions, he was not terribly patient, especially when noticing that their transportation was missing.

"Tetra!" he hissed, nudging her harder until he was practically kicking her.

"_What?!"_ the girl snapped, jerking her head toward him as she narrowed her eyes dangerously, "What do you want? Let me sleep a little bit longer!" With a huff Link knelt down beside her and began shaking her.

"Epona! Where _is_ she?" he said, hoping that she would catch the urgency in his voice, "She's missing!"

"What…?" Tetra said, rolling back over.

"_She's missing,"_ Link said slowly, "As a matter of fact, I didn't see her when Noctis came for me last night."

"I'm sure she's fine," she said, getting up and folding the blanket, "Epona is a smart horse…"

"Some ranch hand _you_ are," he said, crossing his arms in disapproval, "You didn't tie her up, when you _probably_ should have. Even _I_ know that! You just let her roam in a new place! What if she never comes back? What will you tell Mrs. Midna, hmm? Will 'I'm sure she's fine, Epona is a smart horse' work on her?" Tetra shrunk back slightly at the scolding from this odd boy, staring up at him nervously for a few moments, seemingly actually thinking over what he had to say. Link even surprised himself, mentally noting how much he sounded like his father. His serious expression faltered for a second as he realized this, but he quickly resumed his glare.

"Fine, fine!" Tetra growled, "Come on and help me."

"Help _you?"_ Link repeated, raising an eyebrow, "Why should Navi and I help you, when this is your fault?"

"Look," she began, "I-"

"Oh, look, look!" Navi exclaimed, bouncing up and down in the air, "There she is!" They looked in time to see Epona galloping toward them.

"_See?"_ Tetra said with a smirk, "Just like I said. Epona is a _very _smart horse." Link rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

"So, how do you figure that we'll get down there, to Lake Hylia?" she asked, "You were, after all, the one who not only lived down there, but you were also scanning the area from that ledge, right?"

"Yeah…" Link said, thinking as he looked around until he spotted something, "Hey! I know! There might be a way down from over there. Follow me." Tetra frowned but followed after him and the fairy. He lead them to a colorful building that appeared to be a dead end.

"Now what?" she asked, "Are there stairs in here?"

"Maybe," he shrugged, opening the door and gesturing for her and Navi to enter. Before he could stop her, Epona walked past him and squeezed herself in, barely making it through. He hesitantly followed in after them. Link held his arms up in defense to avoid Epona's tail as the horse shook. Dust flew everywhere, making his view of the room limited. It seemed to be how he had remembered it, but he couldn't be sure. After a coughing fit from all the dust, he jerked his head up at the sound of a new voice.

"Welcome to 'Falbi's Flight By Fowl'!" a cheery voice exclaimed, "How many will it be? Just you, ma'am? I'm afraid the horse can't go- it'll stress out the cuccos too much, I'm afraid, but-"

"Hello…? Link called, waving his hand about in the hopes of seeing better through the haze. He narrowed his eyes to see the strange man who stood in front of Tetra. His face was caked with makeup and his clothes were colorful and odd. Perched on his head was a little hat and from under that flowed brown, messy hair. He did not appear to be very old, Link noticed by his youthful face and fit body, most likely what muscle the man had gained had been partly from caring for the multitude of cuccos that wandered about, clucking and crowing perpetually.

"Falbi…? Link said slowly, unsure.

"Yes, sir!" the young man said happily, "Falbi is indeed my name! Well, actually, I'm Falbi _II,_ to be precise. You see, the original Falbi, my great grandfather, started this- 'Falbi's Flight By Fowl'!" Would you like to give it a try, or… or…" He paused as his eyes grew wide with realization.

"Link…?!" he gasped, "Is that really you?" Link grinned and nodded.

"Where have you been all this time?" Falbi said, examining his friend, "You've been gone for… let's see… seven years?"

"I've been… away," the young hero replied.

"No kidding!" he said, "What, were you taken captive by the yetis and frozen at Snowpeak for all that time?"

"…not exactly," Link said, unsure of what to tell his friend.

"Well, where have you been?" his friend tried again

"It's complicated."

"'It's complicated'…" Falbi echoed, nodding, but frowning, "Do you know, then, what happened to your father? Don't worry, your aunts are fine, just so you know."

"I know," Link sighed, "He was taken by Ganondorf, to Hyrule Castle."

"Along with a bunch of other men, too, from around Hyrule," his friend added, "I've got this theory that he's trying to brainwash them into serving him as his personal army. I've been trying to keep my head low, so he doesn't take me or anyone else from Lake Hylia."

"What about _your_ family?" Link asked.

"My family?" he said, "No worries; they're all fine, at least for now. I mean to keep it that way. Right now, I'm working for my father. He comes up here every so often, but I know he needs to rest. So, I'm making the money for my family by doing this job. I'm also sort of the gate keeper to Lake Hylia. I watch out for Ganondorf's minions and send out a warning signal whenever I see one of them."

"'Warning signal'?"

"Yeah!" Falbi said, "Here at Lake Hylia, we have a lot of celebrations. It drives Ganondorf, or _King_ Ganondorf, I suppose, insane. He hates it when we have any fun. But, you know, the people are stubborn and want to oppose him in any way they can, so that's what they do. Most of the people have been through a lot since they evacuated Hyrule Castle Town, losing a lot of friends and relatives who were imprisoned in the castle dungeons or worse, killed. So they also do that to keep some hope and happiness alive, you know? But _my_ job," he said, pointing up at the sky is to send out a red firework in the shape of whatever monster is close by, like some keese that keep dropping by. If _Ganondorf_ ever wanders around here, I've got one that looks like a pig, because in the legends about him, he would turn into a giant boar. Fortunately, I haven't had to use that one and hopefully I never will."

"That's great!" Link said, "It sounds like you're doing a lot of good for these people."

"I hope so," he said.

"Hey, with all these new people down there, are my aunts still living in the same place?" Link asked.

"Yup!" Falbi grinned, "and they've been saving room for you and your father for when you two get back. They'll be really happy to see you. I think they've been missing you."

"Then I- we- need to get down there!" the young man said, pounding his fist into an open palm, "So, how do we do that?"

"Well…" Falbi said with a sly grin, "You _could_ try out 'Falbi's Flight By Fowl'… only twenty rupees per person!"

"No, we need to have a way to bring down our horse, Epona, too," Link said, causing his friend to droop.

"Oh, fine," he sighed, "There's a elevator just back there." He pointed toward a back wall.

"Thanks, Falbi!" Link said, hurrying towards the elevator, followed by his companions.

"Don't allow any, ah, 'feathery hitchhikers', okay? I can't afford to lose any cuccos," Falbi said, "Oh, and Link?" The young man turned back toward his friend.

"You haven't seen Saria, have you?" he asked, "She left some time ago, looking for you. I've been pretty worried."

"Yes, I've seen her," Link replied, deciding on what he should say, "She's in the Faron Woods. She's alright."

"Oh, that's good," Falbi sighed with relief, "I hope she makes it back, soon, though. Everyone has been really missing her. But I'm glad you found her." His friend smiled and stepped into the elevator.

"Hey, Link!"

"Hmm?"

"Be sure and enjoy the festival today- it's one of the bigger ones!"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"I've never been in an elevator before," Link said, glancing back at the strange, moving box they had just ridden.

"I have," Tetra said, "when I lived at the castle. They were working on how to make them automatic."

"How would you do that?"

"I have no idea," the girl replied, "but, come on, do you want to see your aunts or not?"

"Yeah, right!" Link said, trying to focus. He was difficulty as his attention was immediately taken as he turned back around. Lake Hylia had once been rather calm and quiet. His father seemed to like it that way. But now, it was very crowded. Not near as dense as he had experienced Hyrule Castle Town to have been, but it was still overwhelming to him.

"_Look at all the people!"_ he gasped.

"Country boy…" Tetra muttered.

"Hey Navi," Link said, "Think you can guide us to my house? There are so many buildings now that I can't tell which way to go."

"Sure!" the fairy chirped, "What does it look like?"

"It's way up on a hill. Last I saw, it was next to a tower, unless someone tore it down," he said.

"Okay!" she said, rising high into the air, "I think I see it! Follow me!" Link raced underneath her, followed closely by Tetra and Epona.

"Almost there!" Navi called down. Link smiled as they rounded one last corner. The familiar sight of his home captured his gaze.

"This is it!" he cried, "Navi, you did it! You found it! Thank you!"

"H-hey, wait up!" Tetra said as Link burst into a run again, "Alright then, go on. I'll just… find a place for Epona." She pulled the horse away as Link rushed up the steps leading into his home and knocked.

"Aunt Koume! Aunt Kotake!" the young man called, as Navi landed on his shoulder, "It's me, I'm here! It's Link! Please open the door!"

"Wait, did you say-" Navi said, but was interrupted as the door creaked open to reveal a wrinkly old woman.

"What do you want?" she said, "We're busy making potions. Come back later."

"But Aunt Kotake," he said, identifying the twin, "It's me, Link! Don't you recognize me?" The old woman slowly looked up and when her eyes reached the hero's, they bulged with shock.

"_Link?!"_ she gasped, "It _is_ you! Where in Hyrule have you _been,_ boy? You've been gone seven years! If you are looking for Papa, he left to look for you _years_ ago and never came back."

"Yes, I know," he replied gloomily, "and I'm sorry. Papa was kidnapped by Ganondorf's men and-"

"Yes, we already know," the witch said, "Come inside already! We must let Aunt Koume know that you are here and safe."

"Where is she?"

"Inside, dear, helping me brew a potion," Aunt Kotake replied, "Since there are so many people here, now, our potions are in high demand. Usually, I'm the only one making the potions, while Koume knows exactly what to gather. But now we have had to share the work."

"Oh," Link said, "But isn't that a good thing? You're both helping the people of Hyrule, right?"

"Oh, I suppose so…" she grumbled, "We can't get any peace and quiet, though, when everyone wants our potions..."

"Ah…" he said, but his heart leapt as something occurred to him, _"Papa! _What about Papa? He needs his blue potion! You don't… you don't think that he's… _no…" _

"Dead?" his aunt finished bluntly, "No, not him. He is surly fine. You don't know just how strong your Papa _really_ is, do you, boy?"

"What do you mean…?" Link said. A mischievous grin spread across her wrinkles.

"Have you heard about all the festivals we have here?" she said quickly, "They're probably just starting to dance! You should go out, find a pretty girl and ask her to dance. You're young and handsome, so that should be no problem. Here's a few rupees. Now, go have some fun!"

"What? No, I need-"

"-to let Aunt Koume know that you are here," she 'finished', "I will that do for you. Now, go on, go on!" She pushed him out the door, causing him to nearly fall down the steps. He barely caught himself in time. He frowned, but decided to obey his aunt and explore where music was now drifting from. Heading toward the noise, he stopped as Tetra suddenly stumbled in front of him.

"Hey, _there_ you are!" he said, "Where have you been?"

"I took Epona someplace safe, don't worry," she said, "Now, where are going?"

"To whatever is over there," he said, "I talked to one of my great-aunts, and she told me to."

"She didn't want to see you?"

Link frowned then shook his head, "I don't think that that was the reason at all. I'll go back and see them later."

"If you say so…" Tetra said as they entered the source of the commotion. They watched as couples lively danced about and various shopkeepers called out their wares to draw attention, while others enjoyed each other's company while eating delicious-looking pastries.

"Let's look around," Link said, pulling Tetra along behind him. Navi giggled at the sight of the happy festival and the fun everyone was having.

"Oh, wait…" Tetra said, almost too softly for Link to hear.

"What is it?" he said, looking back at her.

"Over there," she replied, pulling him along. He tried to look over then in between the heads of the partygoers, but could not yet see anything.

"Where are you going?" Link laughed, smiling down at her.

"I just… I wanted to see _this,"_ Tetra replied, motioning toward a blue dress. He first raised an eyebrow at her sudden interest in the dainty thing, as she had not seemed to be the kind of girl who would appreciate such things. But instead, he continued to smile, wheels turning in his head.

"I bet you'd look really pretty in that dress," he said, "Hey mister! How much is this dress?"

"Wait, what?" Tetra said.

"This is handmade, fit for a princess," the man said, sliding his glasses further up along his nose, "It's most likely a little more than you can afford."

"Oh," Link huffed, "How about I trade you something for it?"

"Perhaps," he said with a smirk, "What have you got?"

"Um…" the hero said, grabbing his old pouch, "let's see… I have a Zora scale."

"That would be valuable, but not enough," the man said, examining it.

"Okay," Link said, "How about this empty bottle?"

"We sell plenty of those around here. Besides, you don't want to sell that. They come in handy."

"Then what about this Kargaroc feather?"

"I could sell that at a rupee a feather and still make a fortune, we see those so much."

"Well… I have this other feather…"

"Probably not something I…" the merchant trailed off at the sight of the feather, _"This… _do you know what this is?!"

"Um… a bird feather?" Link said.

"Well yes, but it's not from just _any_ bird!" he said, examining it, "This comes from a bird that many believe are extinct! My grandfather and his father before him believed that there were sky beings. This helps prove it!"

"What kind of bird is it from?" the young man asked, leaning forward.

"There were- presumably _are-_ a very large species of bird that existed about thousand or more years ago called _Loftwings!"_ he explained, "And this, I believe, even comes from a _rare type _of Loftwing! Please, I _must_ have this!"

"I'll trade you for the dress," Link offered.

"Done!" the merchant replied, excitedly running a hand through his graying red hair as he examined the feather. He quickly locked it away in a safe at the back of his tent before carefully taking down the blue dress and handing it to Link. The young man turned to the princess with a grin.

"What do you think?" he asked, playfully holding the dress in front of himself and twirling about.

"You shouldn't have- why did you- I can't-" she stuttered.

"Just say 'thank you' and try it on to make sure that it fits," he said, "because I think I just traded it for something really valuable that I'm not sure if could ever get back."

"Thank you…" Tetra said softly, numbly taking the dress from him.

"Here," he offered, guiding her along, "it looks like you can change in here, see? Go on, I'll wait for you here. Really! Go on! Let me see what it looks like on you!" Tetra stumbled into the little dressing room. It seemed to have been what the inhabitants used as a dressing room for when they decide to go and swim in the lake, because the floor was mildly wet, but she hardly noticed.

"You know," Navi said, floating in front of Link, who had leaned against the side of a bench, "that was very nice of you. I mean, she _has_ been kind of mean to you."

"I know," he said, "But I've been wanting to make friends with her. I thought that this would help." A few minutes later, Link looked up to see Tetra step out of the little dressing room. She twirled about in the blue dress, just as he had earlier when he was playing around with it, but he noticed how she clearly made it look more graceful. He felt his face suddenly grow warm as he blushed.

"Oh, no…" he groaned.

"What's wrong?' Navi asked.

"I think I might be coming down with something," he said, holding a wrist to his forehead, "Do I feel like I have a fever to you?"

The fairy flew up and held her own tiny wrist to his forehead. She giggled.

"I don't think there's anything funny about getting sick, especially on a day like this!" he said indignantly.

"I don't think you're sick," Navi said, "I just think that you see somebody that you think looks awfully pretty in a blue dress!"

"What…? I-"

"What do you think?" Tetra said, hurrying over to them, "Does it look okay?"

"You look…" Link said, trying to choose the right words, of which he was still learning, "…like a princess. I looks very nice."

"Thank you… for this," she said, looking down at the dress again, "You didn't have to do this."

"Sure I did!" he replied, "Now, hear that music? You wanna dance with me?" he cleared his throat and tried again, "Er… I mean… would you like to dance, princess?" She smiled.

"Sure, Twinkletoes," she said, grabbing his hands, "You know how to dance?"

"No, but-"

"That's okay!" she said, "Follow what I do and try not to step on my toes." He yelped as she pulled him in amongst the other people.

"Careful, careful, now…" she directed, "Watch me. Now spin around!" He did as he was told and instead landed in the arms of a very large woman who laughed when she caught him. She began to spin around and around until he was dizzy. His head spun when she let go and he staggered to the next person.

"Tetra?" he guessed as he looked down at his new dancing partner. Two large green eyes on a freckled face told him that it was not her. The girl laughed and she pulled him around. From dancer to dancer he spun until the music abruptly stopped and Link realized that the girl that had caught his hands was Tetra. He sighed, happy to see the familiar face again.

"I guess I'm not so great at dancing," he said.

"That's alright," she replied with a shrug, "So what? That sword and shield you've got says that you're a warrior. But for the record, I thought you did pretty well." He grinned.

"Hey, why don't we go back to my house?" he offered, "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired. Besides, I can show you around and introduce you to my great-aunts."

"That sounds good," Tetra said.

"What about me?" Navi suddenly piped up, having been trying to keep up with Link during the dance.

"You too, Navi," he said, as she landed in the fold of his hat, "But I think we should definitely rest tonight. Starting tomorrow, I've got something important I need to get back to."

-This chapter ended up being about twice as long as I originally intended! I almost split this chapter in half, but then I thought that, no, I didn't have time to post any chapters in November, I believe it was. So… I suppose you could consider this a sort of apology/ Christmas present? Besides, I've had a lot of time on my hands over the past couple of days (although this chapter was completed in a day), mostly because I've been sick with a nasty sore-throat-and-fever kind of cold. Not fun. But I've been insanely bored anyway, so I thought that this would be a great time to sit back, relax, and write this chapter! So, here it is, and even though there really isn't much action in it, the action scenes are about to pick up, again! And by the way, I don't really consider the 'romance' thing to be official, because Link (with the 10-year-old mind) really just wanted to make friends, initially, and is just starting to 'like' Tetra. But the thing is, he doesn't fully understand why he feels that way, so it's a little bit irritating to him. Oh, and one more thing- as I mentioned in my note of that last chapter, this chapter was named after and inspired by the song/scene in the movie 'Tangled' called 'Kingdom Dance'. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and I hope to be able to post another chapter soon.- TwilightFairy928


	26. Do You Remember The Name Of The Desert

**Chapter 21 **

**-"Do You Remember The Name of the Desert?"- **

Link squeezed his eyes shut as he sensed light intruding just beyond his eyelids. He growled in annoyance, but forced himself into wakefulness. He yawned as he sat up, but sighed as an odd feeling swept through him. He was in his room, after what, even to him, felt like such a long time. He looked down and smiled to see that when he moved his feet under the blankets, they were nearly hanging off of the end of his bed. It was a good and strange feeling to know that he had grown so much. Even though he had changed, his room was nearly the same. All of the furniture was in the same places, as well as many of his toys and even his clothes stayed in the drawers. He wondered why no one had changed it, as from their point of view, he would have been gone for over seven years. He frowned, but shrugged at the thought, brushed his sheets aside and swung his feet over the side of the bed.

Link stood up and looked down. He was wearing one of his father's old tunics, as none of his own fit. The design on it was one he knew his father had favored: it was a creamy white with red rectangles that were partly framed by blue lines. Such a style came from the nearby desert, which Link had heard so many stories about. He could still hear his father telling him the tales.

"_Do you remember the name of the desert?"_ Papa had asked.

The answer was _'yes',_ of _course_ he remembered the name of the desert. He had heard it what could have been thousands of times: _the Gerudo Desert._ His favorite bedtime stories had taken place there, after all, about a young prince and his adventures. Papa had told the stories with such lifelike detail, as if the prince could have been himself! Link smiled at the memory, imagining how his father had waved his hands about wildly and the expressions that he had made… Then he paused.

"_You must restore the sword of its power by finding the Three Princesses of the Goddesses. They can restore the Master Sword."_

The voice of the Hero of Time echoed in his mind as memories of what his father had taught him surfaced. The three goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore, were connected to different parts of the world. Farore was associated with the forest, where he had found Saria, while Nayru was connected to the water in the old stories. Din had the mountains and the desert; the dry earth. Papa had voiced his assumption that perhaps Din had the appearance the Gerudo that resided in the desert. Could it be that the next princess would be found in the desert? It made for an excellent excuse; he had always wanted to explore the desert that he had heard so much about. Then, it was decided.

Link spun around, looking for his clothes. They were missing. Figuring that he had just been so sleepy that he had forgotten where he had left them, Link searched even in the most unlikely of places around his room. Having no luck, he opened his door and peered out. He didn't particularly want to be wandering around the house in just a night shirt with a princess staying for the night, even if it was Tetra. He was taught to be polite and wanted to make his father proud by staying that way. However, it seemed as though he had no choice, as his clothes in his drawers no longer fit him. Quietly, he crept down the hall to search for his aunts, hoping that he could avoid both Tetra and Navi.

Peering around a corner into the room in which he could usually find his Aunt Kotake, Link huffed in frustration to find no one. He continued on into the kitchen and not finding anyone there either, he turned and narrowed his eyes to see out the window into the slowly receding darkness of the night. Link frowned, knowing that his great-aunts were usually up early. Then again, he considered the fact that he _had_ been gone for seven years and that perhaps that had changed since he had last been home. He bit his lower lip while drumming his fingers on the bottom of the window in thought.

"What are you doing?"

Link's heart leaped at the sound as his feet left the floor. Once he landed with a loud _thud,_ he spun around to find Tetra raising an eyebrow at him with her hands on her hips. He casually leaned against the wall in an attempt to compose himself.

"What are _you_ doing?" he countered. She sighed, shaking her head.

"It's, what, about six, six-thirty in the morning?" Tetra guessed, "I'll need to get Epona and leave early if I'm going to get back home today. We left about the middle of the day or later to get here, remember? Ordon is a ways away."

"Er, right…" he said, scratching the back of his head, "Where's… where is Navi? Do you know?"

"I'd imagine the little firefly is around here somewhere, probably curled up on a pillow or something," she said with a shrug, "Hey, do you think she still glows when she's asleep? I wasn't paying attention last night. If she does, maybe you can find her that way."

"Um, okay," he said, "I- I think she does. I'll look around." He walked past her, avoiding her gaze as he searched for any signs of a blue light, but with the intent of reaching his father's room for a clean tunic, even though he knew it would be rather large on him.

"Hey."

Link paused, turning around with a thin smile.

"They're outside," Tetra said.

"What?"

"_They're outside,"_ she repeated, "Your clothes, I mean. I figured that that was why you were sneaking around in that old tunic. You don't want to wander around town just in that, do you?"

"Well, no, I… um…" he said, blushing, "…thanks. I'll go them while it's still dark out."

"You're pretty self-conscious, aren't you?" she said, crossing her arms. She grinned and waved her hand when he opened his mouth to respond.

"You don't have to answer that. It's okay, I get it. That's just how you are," Tetra said, then pointing to his tunic, asked, "Hey, where did you get that? I recognize that pattern."

"This?" Link said, stretching out the fabric so that she could see the design better, "It's my Pa- er, my fath-"

"I know, I know," she said, "Your 'Papa'. Do you think calling him that makes you sound too childish or something? I really don't mind what you call him- really! Calm down. Anyway, I've seen that kind of design before at the castle. My brother, sister and I were all taught by someone my father hired. He wanted only the very best education for us. Zelda and I may not have had the time to learn as much as Sheik did, but we still know a lot about Hyrule and its people."

"So you know what people made things with this design on it, then?" he asked, examining the tunic.

"The _Gerudo,"_ Tetra said, "They were around a few hundred years ago, living in the desert. But, they slowly vanished. You can still generally pick out their descendants, though, by their-"

"…red hair," Link finished, grinning and clapping his hands together, "I remember! Papa told me all about them. He would always tell me stories about a Gerudo prince before I would go to sleep at night. He told me that it was important when a boy was born into that tribe, because boys were only born every hundred years; one at a time. Every one of them became the king of the Gerudo. Papa seemed to know more about them than any other people he taught me about. He even said that he had been to visit the prison there, the 'Ar… something Grounds'."

"The _Arbiter's Grounds?"_ she offered.

"Yes!" he said, "That's it!" Tetra frowned.

"Why did he go there?" she asked.

"I don't know," Link said, "I don't think he ever told me. He probably just didn't want me to go there. He really didn't want me to go _anywhere, _come to think of it."

"Why?"

"Mm…" he hummed while in thought, "He would always say something like, _'It is too dangerous, Link! I know what it is like out there, but you do not! You are not allowed to leave because you might get hurt!'"_ Link smiled at his new ability to make his voice deep, allowing him to somewhat mimic his father, even if it was far from accurate.

"…and I guess that he _was_ right," he admitted, "I _have_ gotten hurt lots of times since I left home. The lesser of those wounds and the easiest to heal, but also the ones that were my least favorite to get- not to say that I liked getting hurt at all- were from my Papa. He was… upset at just the fact that I left, to say the least."

"I see…" Tetra said, "That's interesting. He sounds pretty overprotective, if you ask me. But weren't you going to get your clothes before dawn? I think I can see light starting to reach the lake."

"Oh, right!" Link said, staggering backward toward the door, "I'll go get them. I'll see you later!"

"Your other things, like your chain mail and belt and such are in-" Tetra sighed as the door slammed shut, and smirked at the fact that he would likely panic later; sneaking around again to searching for them.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"_Link!" _

Navi flew about the house, searching for her friend. Having fallen asleep in a bundle of clean sheets that she had found in a closet, she awoke to find that the sun had just risen high enough to be seen from over the cliffs and down to Lake Hylia. Knowing that her companion was an early riser, she assumed that he would most likely be awake, dressed and ready to leave the house. He was, no doubt, curious about the new town that had grown around his home. Not wanting to be left behind, Navi called again for Link, this time raising her voice.

"Navi?" the familiar, slightly low voice of the young man answered, "Where are you?"

"Here!" she replied, following the sound. She stopped once she caught sight of him in a bedroom, bending over a few large books that rested on a table.

"There you are!" Navi said, circling him, "I've looked all over for you. Good morning!"

"Yes, good morning…" he muttered.

"Uh… what are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm in my Papa's room, studying his books about the Gerudo Desert, to see what I can find," he explained, "I think that the next Goddess Princess might be there."

"Why is that?" she said.

"Because Papa used to say that he thought that Din may have once looked like a Gerudo. So," he said, "what if he was right? They live, or at least _lived,_ in the desert, and Din has to do with the earth- the ground, mountains, sand and such- right?"

"Oh, I see!" she said, "So we'll be going there, next?"

"I think so," he said with a nod, "Are you ready to go? I mean, _do _you ever need to get ready in the morning?"

"Well, just because no one can see anything but blue light when they see me doesn't mean I'm _actually_ just blue light, you know," Navi said, "I like to look pretty sometimes, too."

"Oh, um, sorry," Link said, wincing, "I didn't mean-" She giggled.

"It's okay," she said, "But _you_ might want to find your hat before we leave." Link frowned and placed a hand on his head. He groaned when he could not feel any fabric, only hair that clearly needed to be brushed.

"I'll go get my hat," he sighed, "and I left my sword in my room, I think. Meet me outside. I think I know how we're going to get to the desert."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link jogged toward the old building that he had known for as long as he could remember. It was a colorful building that had been operated by his friend Falbi's family, in which was kept an old cannon. The cannon, which he had once used to leave Lake Hylia, was used since long ago as a 'fun' way to blast travelers out of Lake Hylia and to Hyrule Field above… or to the desert. This was why he was hoping that it still worked well enough to carry him all the way to his destination, as old as it was. If it did and he reached the desert unscathed, he would make his way toward the Arbiter's Grounds in the hopes that he would find the next Princess of the Goddesses.

"Hey, Link!" Navi called, trying to keep up, "Link, what about Tetra?"

"What about her?" he said.

"Shouldn't we wait on her?" she said, "Or is she meeting us there?"

"Neither," he said, "The princess is going back home, like Mrs. Midna told her. Anyway, I thought that you two didn't get along."

"No, it's not like that!" Navi said, "For some reason, she didn't like me; I know that. But that doesn't mean I didn't want to get along with her."

"Well, either way, she's not coming," he said, "It's just you and me again. You'll help me find the next Princess, right?"

"Of course!" the fairy said, "I want to help you in any way that I can."

"Good," Link said, "because the way there might be kind of… difficult."

The building containing the cannon was coming into their view from between the houses and stores. Link picked up his pace.

"_Hey, there!" _

Link stopped, nearly tripping, and turned to see who had called him. His eyes fell on a familiar face and he frowned. Princess Tetra grinned back at him, while patting the head of Epona.

"I thought that you were going home!" Link said.

"Home? No," she replied, "Just back to Ordon. But I'm curious as to where you're going, when I was supposed to be taking _you_ home. Leaving already?"

"Why don't you stay out of our business and go home?" he said, taking a step to leave, but soon found that she was following him.

"Are you just exploring the new town, or are you really leaving?" Tetra said, "Because I'll have you know that I had to leave my job and my dear home to go very far out of my way to get you back here."

"…and you're enjoying every minute of it," he sighed, "and didn't you just mention that you _don't_ see Ordon as you're home?"

"Well…" she said, "Nevermind. Tell me where you're going."

"Go away," the young man huffed, "I don't need your help."

"Fine then," she said, "but at least tell me where you are going and _then_ I'll leave you to it."

"_Fine…"_ he grumbled, "The desert. We're going to the Gerudo Desert. Does that make you happy?"

"_The Gerudo Desert?!"_ the princess gasped, "Why-"

"Go away, now," he said, "Go home and _stay safe." _

"But-"

"And, please, take the blue dress I got for you and take it with you. _I_ don't want to keep it to wear it. It looks much better on you," Link said, "Now… Navi?"

"Yes?" the fairy replied.

"Stay close to me," he said, "I've had experience with the way that we're going to take to get to the desert and it is going to be _rough." _

-I LIVE! After an unintentional three month break, I'm back! I want to try and make it so the next chapter will be about Link's next dungeon, so hopefully I'll be able to fit everything in the next chapter without it taking so long to write. I just sort of chipped away at this chapter, bit by bit, until I found a decent stopping point. I _really_ don't want that to happen with the next chapter, but fillers like this one are harder to write than the more action packed ones sometimes. Speaking of the next chapter, I'll give you a heads up: A. expect a character that I introduced earlier to make another appearance, B. who remembers what Link's phobia is? And C. regarding Link's next destination and that phobia, who remembers what lurks in the Arbiter's Grounds? On that note, I think I'm going to have fun writing the next chapter…- TwilightFairy928


	27. The King of the Gerudo

-I know that I normally put any notes or comments or anything like that at the end of the chapter, but I felt that I should put one at the top this time, because it's been so long since I posted anything. First of all, I'm so sorry that it took so long for me to add a new chapter. I've been busy with school, mostly. I even have school this summer- not because I'm in trouble for anything, mind you- but because I chose to take a couple of classes to lighten the load for myself later. Secondly, I wanted to say that this chapter is actually another one of those really long chapters that I just wanted to split up again. The end of this chapter seemed like a good place to stop, so Link will be going to the dungeon in the next chapter. Lastly, I really wanted to let all of you know that even though I sometimes neglect to do a monthly update (particularly this year!), I have no intentions of abandoning this story. I put a lot of effort into planning it out, from beginning to end, plus I feel very privileged and honored to have so many of you that like, read and review my story. So, thanks so much, all of you, and I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter!- TwilightFairy928

**Chapter 22 **

**-The King of the Gerudo-**

"It's hot."

"Well… it _is_ the desert. Deserts tend to be hot."

"I know…"

"Where are we going?"

Link held a hand up to block the brilliant light of the sun. He scanned the desert before him, wincing as he began to feel the sting of the heat. After a few moments, his gaze fell on what he was hoping to find. He pointed at it as he turned back toward Navi.

"There," he said, "See those towers?"

"Oh, you mean that big building over there?" she said, gliding in front of him, "I see it. Do you really think that we'll find the next Princess there?"

"Mm-hmm," he nodded, "and if she's not there, then maybe she'll be where the Gorons are. We'll go to the mountains, then."

"Okay, Link," Navi said, "I'll stay with you, whatever happens!"

"_And so will I!"_

Link spun around and stumbled through the sand before falling over. Blocking the sunlight with his hand again, the newcomer soon came into focus.

"Navi," he said, getting up and dusting some of the sand off, "you see her too, right? I'm really hoping that this is a mirage."

"Good to see you, too," Tetra said with a grin as she placed her hands on her hips. Link rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, "I told you to go back home- _Mrs. Midna_ told you go home!"

"She can wait a little longer," she said, dismissing his words with a wave of her hand, "Besides, I want to know where _you_ are going. I brought _you_ home, but you left! I wanted to know why, so I came."

"But it's too dangerous for you!" Link exclaimed, waving his hands about in frustration.

"_What_ is too dangerous?" she said with a grin.

"Nothing, _nothing,"_ he said, "Now go back-"

"How am I going to do that?" she said.

"What?"

"_How_ am I going to get back?" the princess replied, "I came up here by _cannon._ Do you expect me to just jump off of the ledge and into Lake Hylia? That's a long way."

"I- _you…!_ Just… just…!" he huffed, but sighed in defeat. He then pointed at her, making as fierce a face as he could manage.

"Just stay _out_ of the way and _out_ of danger, understand?" Link growled, pleased with how much he managed to sound like his father. She simply smiled broadly, following after him enthusiastically when he and Navi turned to leave.

Link shook his head. He didn't want his new companion to get hurt, but he knew that he could not change her mind. He hoped that she would not make his mission any more difficult than it already was.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"_Too hot, too hot…"_ Link wheezed.

"Oh, you're so dramatic!" Tetra replied, although she was panting, too.

"Navi!" the young man called, "How much farther?" Navi, who had been flying far above them for a quite a while, hesitated before answering.

"Not much farther!" she shouted back down to him, "Do you see those gates?" He squinted, shielding his eyes from the sun.

"Yes!" he said, "Can you tell for sure if that leads to the where we need to be?"

"It looks like it!" she confirmed, then floated back down toward the two. She suddenly stopped, however. Link frowned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Look out!" she cried.

"Wha-"

Link heard a scream from Tetra, followed by a horrible pain in the back of his head. Then everything faded to black.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He winced as his head began to throb, but tried to make sense of the blurry shapes over him. A multitude of muttering told him that they were people leaning over him.

"Who _are_ they…?" said one voice. A woman, he guessed.

"Strangers," said another, _"Intruders._ That's all that matters, isn't it?"

"But the little ball of light that got away…" said a third, "wasn't that a fairy?"

"Maybe," said the first, "but it's unusual to see a fairy out in the middle of the desert. Maybe it was a firefly."

"In the daytime?" the second one said, "Not likely."

"We can find out later," said yet another voice, which Link identified as that of a man, "But look: one of them is waking up." Link attempted to speak, but all he could force out was a long, agonizing moan.

"You may have hit him a bit too hard," the man said to one of the others.

"I… _do_ apologize, my king," the voice of the second woman replied, "but I was only trying to protect the camp, with the threat of that Ganondorf and his army, sir."

"I know," he said, "but take care of them. The girl may be a bit disoriented when she wakes up, as well. Do ensure that the damage isn't permanent, won't you? I want to know who they are."

"Yes, King Fyrus!" the three women shouted in unison, causing Link to cringe. Then he froze, his eyes widening as he remembered. He rolled to face the man that was nearly out the door.

"_F-Fy… rus…" _he wheezed, feeling his head throb furiously, _"Fyrus…"_ The misty form stopped and turned around.

"Yes," he said, "That is my name. What's yours?" Link narrowed his eyes for a moment as his sight began to clear. The king who stood before him seemed to be a young man; about his own age. His long, red hair was tied back, but he also had grown a slight beard. Golden eyes stared intently into his own blue ones. After a moment of confirming his guess, Link finally found his voice.

"L-Link," he said in barely more than a whisper. His strength was beginning to leave. The young man, who was once the boy that he had met in Hyrule Castle Town, smiled down at him.

"Link?" Fyrus said, "Named after the hero, are you? That's a good sign. Tell me, Link, how are you feeling?"

"Head hurts…" he muttered, "Feel stiff. Dizzy."

"Hmm…" the young king hummed, "You should feel much better soon, after you lay down for a while. Can you tell me why you were in the desert?"

"Gotta rescue princess," he replied without much thought, "Gotta rescue Papa."

"Is that so?" Fyrus said, "I'm afraid that there are no princesses here. We haven't had much in the way of visitors here, so I doubt that your 'Papa' is here, either-"

"_Tetra?"_

"What?"

"Where Tetra?" Link grunted.

"Is that what the name of your friend is? The girl, I mean?" Fyrus asked, then pointed, "She's right there, behind you." Link carefully rolled over to see Tetra sleeping peacefully on a mat.

"See there?" the young man said, "She is doing fine and should wake up soon."

"Good," Link said, then, "Wanna get up."

"'Get up'? Perhaps he shouldn't," one of the women piped up, "We don't know if he has been telling the truth, first of all, and second, he could hurt himself. Or us."

"He will be fine," Fyrus insisted, "Help him up." Link looked, still fairly dazed, at two of the women who pulled him up. At first, he had to allow them to keep him up, as his legs did not want to obey him, but gradually, he felt his strength return. Soon, he still had to lean on a table they had propped him against, but he was standing.

"Very good!" Fyrus exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

"I still feel a little wobbly," Link said, noticing that his legs were beginning to tremble.

"You will need a little more time," he said, "That's understandable. But when you feel confident enough to walk, please meet me outside. I would like to speak with you."

Link nodded as the king strode out of the tent. He then glanced down at Tetra, who still did not even stir. If he was going to keep her out of trouble, he was going to need to look for the Princess Din _alone._

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link slowly stepped outside of the tent and surveyed his surroundings, which had gotten darker since he first woke up. It was a large camp, surrounded by ancient walls that were beginning to crumble and filled with Gerudo women, several of which who were patrolling the area with what appeared to be long spears. Within moments, he spotted the young king, who sat by a fire with a few of the fierce looking women, deep in discussion. Link hesitated before approaching them, but Fyrus noticed him and waved him over.

"It's good to see that you are up," Fyrus said with a smile, "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I suppose," Link replied with a shrug, "but I still feel a little… heavy, I guess? I feel like something is weighing me down. My head still hurts, too."

"Don't worry about that. At this rate, you'll be feeling fine in no time. Please; sit," he said, gesturing to a spot next to him. Link slowly, carefully, sat down, feeling the pain increase slightly. Fyrus frowned slightly when the young man winced, but turned his attention to the others and waved for them to leave.

"Leave us, please," he said, "Go get something to eat. We have been here for a while- you must all be hungry." The women stood and bowed, then quickly turned to leave, except one, who lingered for a moment. Her eyes locked with Link's and he recognized her as one of the three guards that he had seen before in the tent.

"Is something the matter, Aveil?" Fyrus said, forcing her gaze to break and she shook her head.

"No, sire," she said softly, then swiftly spun around and marched off.

"That was Aveil," Fyrus said to Link, staring after her, "She can be a bit… odd, sometimes. I worry about her. She always looks like she's up to something."

"Hmm," Link hummed in agreement, "So… you wanted to talk to me about something, sir, er, your majesty?"

"Fyrus," he said, "You can just call me Fyrus. I'm still having some difficulty getting used to the title of 'king'. My mother always told that I was a prince; that I would be a king someday, but I guess something in me never really took her seriously." He smiled as he stared into the flames. But after a few moments, he shook his head.

"Anyway," he continued, "first of all, I must tell you: I thought you were someone else when I first saw you. I thought you were someone that I knew when I was younger, when I used to live with my parents back in Hyrule Castle Town. There was a knight that I practically idolized, then. My mother didn't like the idea of myself becoming a knight, because she wanted to keep me safe, I know. But I would listen in on all the adventures that _he_ and all the other knights would tell each other. He was the bravest of them all, though. His name was _Sir Raven._ That's who I had mistaken you for, at first. But then, I realized that you were too young, and then I remembered all of the stories that I heard about a hero dressed in green that would always come whenever Hyrule is in danger. So I want to know: are you _the_ Hero?"

"Well…" Link said, then sighed, "That's what I was told. I'm the, uh, 'new' Hero of Time." Fyrus grinned and clapped his hands together.

"I _knew_ it!" he exclaimed, "I _knew_ you were the Hero! Then, I have a favor to ask of you. My people and I have been terrorized by a monster we call the Sand Dragon. It is_ exactly_ as the name implies. Not only does it fly and breathe fire as many dragons do, it also can dive into the sand and attack from below. Fortunately, there have been no fatalities in our attempts to drive out this creature, but it has managed to kidnap one of us. Nabooru, named after the Sage of Spirit from the legends, was to become my future queen, but she was taken by the Sand Dragon. There are many doubts from the others, but I believe that she is still alive. I've tried to enter the stronghold that it carried her away to- the Arbiter's Grounds- but I haven't been able to get to her. I'm begging you- I need your help to rescue her. If you really are _the_ Hero, then you should certainly be able to bring her back safely. If you go, I will go with you. I know my way around, to an extent. But please, will you do it?"

"Yes, of course!" Link said without a second thought, but frowned as something occurred to him, "I do have a question for _you,_ though. Were Tetra and I the only two you caught coming into the desert? What I mean to say is: you haven't seen any fairies flying around lately, have you?"

"Hmm…" Fyrus said, stroking his thin beard, "Come to think of it, I do recall that the guards that carried you in mentioned a light that they thought to be a fairy. Was it a friend of yours?"

"Yes," he said, _"Her_ name is Navi."

"I'll tell everyone to keep a lookout for her," the young king said with a nod, "But it's getting late, and I think we should turn in for the night. We will rest up, then prepare to enter that 'Prison of the Dead' in the morning." Link stared at him for a long minute as he felt as if his blood was running cold.

"What did you say?"

"Ah," Fyrus sighed, then laughed, "we've given the old Arbiter's Ground the nickname 'Prison of the Dead' because of all the poes and redeads that 'live' inside. But I'm sure that they should be no problem if we fight them together. Right? Er… are you feeling alright? You look a bit pale…"

Link continued to stare at the young man in horror. In a moment, his surroundings faded to black once again.

-Yep, so necrophobic Link will be going into a dungeon crawling with dead things. Or rather, _un_dead things. Uh… just to make sure, I made it clear enough that Link just fainted, right? He's still mostly a nervous ten-year-old, mentally. He hasn't _really_ grown up, yet.- TwilightFairy928


	28. Needing To Be Brave

**Chapter 23 **

**-Needing To Be Brave-**

Link looked around, confused. He was home, at Lake Hylia. It looked like it had before all of the people had come; how he had remembered it. He soon realized that he was much smaller. He was ten years old, again!

"Link…?"

His heart skipped a beat when he heard the voice. He smiled as he turned around.

"Papa!" he called, "I looked everywhere for you, and you were really here the whole time, weren't you? I'm home now, too!" Link laughed as his father held out his arms. But he stopped as the sunlight blocked his view and everything blurred.

"Wait, Papa, I can't see you…" the boy said, attempting to block the light.

"…w-…uh…"

"Sir…?" Link said, "I don't understand."

"Wake up," his father repeated.

"But… I _am_ awake."

"Wake up!"

"No! _I am awake!"_ Link shouted, "You're here! _I AM AWAKE!"_

"_Link…" _

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link winced as the light became brighter. He swatted the air in annoyance.

"Navi… cut it out…" he moaned, "I was having a good dream…"

"Navi?" a masculine voice replied, "Oh, no, I'm sorry, I'm not Navi."

"What…?"

Link opened one eye to see Fyrus peering in at him through the tent opening. The young man had an eyebrow raised high in confusion.

"Are you… uh… alright?" Fyrus said, taking a step inside.

"Yeah…" Link said, propping himself with an arm, "Sorry. I'm just a little… a little…"

"Disoriented?" the king suggested.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said.

"Well, I just came to tell you that I am ready whenever you are," Fyrus said, "To go into the Arbiter's Grounds and rescue my Nabooru. I miss her very much, but I'll wait for you."

"Uh, well," Link stuttered, suddenly remembering what his new friend had said the previous night, "Are you sure that I'm the right person for the job? I mean, I-"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, "Of _course_ you are! _You_ are the new Hero of Time, are you not?"

"I- yes, but-"

"Then you're _perfect_ for the job!" he said, then turning to leave, added, "We'll leave just as soon as you are ready." Link watched as Fyrus stepped outside, releasing the flap of the tent, which darkened the small space again. The young man sighed.

"I don't think I'll _ever_ be ready…"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link sat on a mat in the tent, staring blankly at the floor as he mulled over his situation. He was terrified and shivered despite the intense desert heat. He knew that he needed to go. Nabooru, who was potentially and very likely the next princess was in danger and needed his help. He had no way to know if she was even alive or not, but if she was, then for how much longer? He felt he really had no choice, but Fyrus had called the 'Prison of the_ Dead'._

"Why did it have to be dead things?" Link moaned, burying his face in his arms.

"Well, _un_dead things… which is _worse…"_ he corrected himself in a mutter, _"Exactly_ what I'm most afraid of. If only Papa were here. He'd know what to do. Yeah… he'd _crush_ them. _That's _what he would do. I bet he'd even-"

"Link…?"

Link jolted at the sound and jerked his head toward the entrance. Something was moving along the side of the tent, pushing at it. It was small, he could tell, and it seemed to have a faint glow to it. He frowned, cautiously pulling farther away from it for a moment. It was familiar, he felt, and tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes in thought.

"Navi…?" he slowly called back.

"Link, is that you?" the small, muffled voice replied.

"_Navi!"_ he gasped, stumbling over to the entrance of the tent and jerking it open. A tiny, blue ball of light streaked past him. He turned just as the fairy began to swirl around him, causing him to laugh.

"Oh, Link!" she cried, "I'm so happy to see you! I looked everywhere for you. Do you know how many tents there are, here? Oh, are you okay? I saw them hit you pretty hard. Where is Tetra? You aren't being held as prisoners here, are you?"

"First of all, I'm happy to see you too," Link began, trying to answer all of her questions in order, "I looked for you too, and I'm glad that you're alright. No, I don't know how many tents there are, but I'm guessing that there are a lot. Yes, I'm okay- mostly. My head feels better, but I get little headaches every once in a while. I don't think I have any perm- permama- permemement… _permanent _damage. Tetra is- wait! I'm in a different tent now than I was in before! Hmm… well, Tetra is probably either still in the tent that I last saw her in or… somewhere around here. I haven't seen her since I first woke up here in the camp. Oh, and no, we aren't prisoners here. As a matter of fact, the king, here, wants me to help him find his girlfriend, who just might be the next Goddess Princess. But to rescue her, he wants me to go to- go into-"

"What?" Navi urged him on, "Go where?"

"The Arbiter's Grounds," he said with a shiver.

"What's wrong with this 'Arbiter's Grounds'?" she said, "You made it all the way through the last place when you rescued Saria."

"Yes, but this is different," he said.

"'Different' how?"

"Different as in 'crawling with what I'm afraid of the most' kind of different," he said, _"Dead things._ Really, as in _un_dead things. Poes, redeads… creatures- or whatever they are- like that. So… I don't know if I want to go. But I know that girl really needs me. But then again, how can I save her if I'm frozen with fear? What if I _literally_ freeze because of being so scared? What if-"

"No, no, no, don't think like that!" Navi said, gently landing on his shoulder, "I don't think that you're going to _literally_ freeze. At least not in a cold sort of way. Maybe in fear for a moment or so, but I'll be right there with you and I'll help you, uh, 'un-freeze'. Okay?"

"I don't-"

"Someone has to save that girl," she interrupted, "and _you_ are the Hero of Time. Besides, if you save her, and she is the next Princess, then you'll be one step closer to saving not only Hyrule, but your Papa, too, like you wanted. Right?"

"I- yeah. You're right," Link said, standing a little straighter, "He needs me. That girl- the Princesses need me. Hyrule needs me."

"That's right!" she said, lifting herself into the air again, "So what are you going to do?"

"I'll go," he said, balling his hands into fists, "But not by myself."

"I already told you that I will go with you," Navi said, "I'll guide you as best as I can and warn you if anything dead or undead is coming."

"And Fyrus- he's the Gerudo king- he said that he would come, too," he added.

"Then shall we go?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "I'm ready now."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link, who had gathered his sword and the rest of his gear, stepped out of the tent, trying to make himself appear tall and brave, even though he felt like neither.

"Fyrus!" he called. The young king, who sat talking to one of the guards, turned to see him. With a smile, he stood up and hurried over.

"Are you ready to enter the old prison?" Fyrus asked.

"Yes, I am ready now," Link replied attempting to stand a little taller.

"What's that?" the king asked, pointing, as Navi flew out from behind Link.

"This is my fairy friend that I told you about," he said, "This is Navi. Navi, this is King Fyrus."

"Pleased to meet you!" Navi chirped.

"And you," Fyrus replied, bowing slightly.

"Shall we, then?" Link said, gripping the hilt of the Master Sword tighter.

"Of course," the other said, "Follow me." He and Navi followed the young king to the edge of the camp, at which Fyrus paused and grabbed up a large sack that rested against a stone wall.

"I gathered a number of things that I thought we might need in the old prison," he explained.

"Like what?" Link asked.

"Like food, water, a few potions and bandages and so forth," he said, "Just in case we're trapped or severely wounded by anything. ReDeads may be slow, but they _are_ very dangerous. Are you alright? You look a bit pale again."

"I- I'm fine," the hero lied, feeling his legs beginning to turn to mush, "Just… just go on. Show me the way." Fyrus wrinkled his brow in concern, but nodded. Link followed him along a path that soon opened up into a wide space, and then stared upward in awe. An enormous building, a coliseum of sorts, stood high above him. Though weathered and crumbling with age, the Arbiter's Grounds still gave an aura of power and foreboding. Link shuffled his feet and rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness and anticipation, but huffed and forced himself to keep moving.

Up they went on several ancient stairs that had, evidently fairly recently, been repaired somewhat with wooden structures for support. Once they reached the top, the young man looked around at the entrance and down into the darkness that led to the interior of the old prison.

"That's the way, then?" Link asked, though he knew the answer.

"Yes," Fyrus said, gesturing toward the descending stairway, "Would you like for me to lead the way?"

"Well, if you insist," he said, shrugging. As the king started down the stairs, Link felt a small pat on his shoulder.

"It'll be alright, Link," Navi whispered gently in his ear, "I'll be right there with you." He swallowed hard and nodded, allowing one foot to move in front of the other. The stairs were not as steep as he had anticipated and some light reached his eyes when he reached the bottom. A room filled with swirling sand and a few platforms connected with more wooden planks was before him.

"I know the way to the dragon's lair," Fyrus said, "I've been in here many times and know most of the rooms by now."

"Is it very far?" Link asked.

"No, not really," the king replied, then grimaced, adding, "That is, if those blasted Poes haven't blocked the way again."

"Uh, Poes…?" he said.

"_What's the matter, scared of a few pint-sized boogeymen?" _

-It has been SO LONG since I last posted a new chapter! I don't think I've posted anything since last summer. For that, I really am truly, honestly sorry. I didn't mean to leave this story for so long. I really haven't had a nice, big break from school since last year (I even had school over the summer so I would finish sooner). But I've been sorely missing writing this story. Plus, I must say that I was both extremely flattered and felt the pains of guilt for lack of updates to find out that I, in fact have over _100 followers_ to _Tangled In Time! _Really, guys, I can't thank you enough for all the follows, favorites and, best of all, the awesome reviews you give. I still have no intentions of abandoning this story. And, because I've made all of you wait so terribly long, I'll go ahead and at least tell you that the dragon _will_ be in the next chapter, I'll do my very best to make sure of it. I really hope you'll like it, as it is my original creation, with the help of my friend who is amazing at drawing dragons. Also, in case anyone is interested, there is now some art for my story, made by both myself and another (amazing) artist! Since I'm pretty sure that I can't post the links (no pun intended) here, if you message me I can show you the art website they are on. Anyway, I'm hoping to have the next chapter up very soon- as in possibly before Christmas- so I'll see you then!- TwilightFairy928


	29. Prison of the Dead

**Chapter 24 **

**-Prison of the Dead- **

Link blindly thrust his sword toward the sound. The intruder fell over backward and glared up at him.

"What is _wrong_ with you?!"

He huffed in irritation as he sheathed his sword. Tetra, dressed in Gerudo clothes, lifted herself back up.

"_Me?!"_ he snapped, _"Din, _Tetra, what's wrong with _you?!_ This place is dangerous! I thought you were a monster! I could have run you through!"

"But you didn't," she reasoned, crossing her arms, "and anyway, I'm going with you."

"No you're n-"

"_Yes, I am,"_ she said, drawing a long, curved sword, "I have something to protect myself with, I'm _not_ as delicate as you've convinced yourself that I am, and I think you need my help. No, I take that back. I _know_ that you need more help if you're _that_ tense. Speaking of which, your knuckles are turning white. Did you know? You should stop that before you get a hand cramp. Then you won't be able to hold your sword at all." Link grunted angrily in response and turned back toward Fyrus. The redhead shrugged and continued on.

"What, you don't care if she gets hurt?" Link said, catching up to his friend. Fyrus shrugged again.

"She looks like she can take care of herself," he said, "and we will keep together. There is strength in numbers, so this could be good."

"But this is Tetra, _princess_ of Hyrule," Link said.

"A princess?" he repeated, glancing back, "Ah, well. _I_ am a _king._ Just because we are both royalty doesn't mean that we are incapable of defending ourselves. Besides, as I said, she looks like she can take care of herself. If she looked too delicate, I would not let her come."

"I like him," Tetra said with a grin. Link rolled his eyes. Fyrus then guided them into the next room, but paused in front of a door.

"Just to warn you, the next room is fairly dark," he said, "There is _some_ light, but do watch your step." He opened the door and they followed him in. Link squinted to see better through the gloom. Aside from a couple torches, the light was, as Fyrus had said, minimal.

"Oh, be careful of the sand," the king added.

"Why?" Link asked. His heart sank then began to pound as he felt something grab his boot.

"_Why?!"_ he repeated, his voice deeper, as he shook the thing off of his foot.

"Stalkin," Fyrus replied, "They come out of the sand. They are small, but can be mildly harmful."

"What is a 'Stalkin'?" Tetra asked, shaking off a couple of the little creatures.

"They are, essentially, tiny skeletons," he answered, "Like Stalfos, but much smaller. Link, are you- uh, Link?"

"I'm over here," Link called, holding the door open, "I found the door, so let's go. Let's just go, hurry up; come on." The others sprinted toward him, stepping over and shaking off the Stalkins. The following room was enormous in comparison, the young hero noticed.

"Oh, good," Fyrus said, "the Poes have _not_ taken the torch light again. We can just go straight to where she is."

"How much farther is it?" Link asked.

"What, are you getting tired?" Tetra teased.

"_No,"_ Link snarled in response, "I just… wait… what's that?" He pointed to a tall, dark figure standing in the middle of the room.

"That looks like…" the king's voice faltered as he tried to get a better look through the gloom. Navi flew over to the strange being and allowed some of her light to shine on it. Link felt his heart skip a beat again as he saw the hideous, decaying face.

"It's a ReDead!" she shouted back as she quickly pulled away from it.

"A ReDead," Link said flatly, "A ReDead, why not?! But _why_ did it have to be a _ReDead,_ of _all_ the things in Hyrule?! It could have been a Moblin. It could have been a Lizalfos. It could have been _anything_ from _any_ of the fairytales I heard when I was little. Din, it could have been a Poe, at worst! But no. _No._ It _had_ to be a Farore-forsaken _ReDead_ of all things!"

"You're afraid of ReDeads," Tetra said, an eyebrow raised, _"You_ are supposed to be the great Hero of Time, and you're afraid of an overgrown string bean wrapped in bandages. _Great."_

"It's a…" he replied indignantly, trying to think of the word, "…big… fear of mine."

"A 'phobia'? Fyrus suggested.

"Yes, that's it!" he said, "It's a phobia. Of dead things, that is. Well… _un_dead things, anyway."

"Ganondorf probably found out about you and may have ordered it to stand guard here," Tetra guessed.

"But of all things…" Link said, frowning, "It's almost like he _knew_ to send _that_ above all else…" Fyrus waved a hand in the air dismissively.

"That isn't a problem," he said, aiming his hand at the monster and releasing an explosion of magical fire. Navi dodged the fireball as it slammed into the ReDead. It let out a horrific scream of pain as it crumpled to the ground.

"ReDeads and Gibdos hate fire," the king explained, "Fortunately, it is common for Gerudo kings to become excellent magic users and I am no exception. I don't see any more… alright, then, follow me." The small group walked quietly through the dark room, each glancing around to ensure no other enemy would stand in their way. Soon, they came upon a circular room that was even taller than the last with a wooden pathway that nearly reached the incredibly high ceiling.

"We've been working on this ramp for quite a while, now," Fyrus said, "Since we have finished with that, we will be building a permanent, stone stairway. We all agreed on the idea that one day, all of the Gerudo will live in here, once we can clear the Arbiter's Grounds of its… less than pleasant occupants and renovate to ensure safety throughout. It will become like the Gerudo's version of Hyrule Castle."

"That sounds like some good protection, if you can make this place solid," Tetra said.

"Yes," he replied, "We experience sand storms and we need more defense against Ganondorf's followers. Once we finish, this place would not only be a castle, but an impressive fortress, or so we hope."

"It looks like that may take a while," Link said, tilting his head back as far as it would go. He had never seen a room so tall as this. It seemed too vast to be real, he thought.

"Is there a faster way than just walking up this ramp?" he asked. Tetra rolled her eyes.

"There once was," Fyrus replied, "See the tracks spiraling along the wall, just above the path? There was once a device that would allow one to ride to the top. Unfortunately, it was taken and never returned."

"Thieves?" Tetra guessed.

"No," he said, "The last hero of Hyrule came here and needed it. But that's alright. We have our own way, now, and we will make it better soon."

"Still, it would be nice," Link said, "That way, we could get up there faster _and_ save our energy. The sooner we get up there, the better. Right?"

"Yes," Fyrus agreed, "My poor Nabooru is waiting."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link, panting, peered over the edge of the ramp. From the top, which they had only just reached, the floor seemed incredibly far. His stomach churned at the thought of losing his balance. All he had to do was lean too much and he could fall all the way down. Link pushed himself back, keeping away from the edge.

"C'mon…" Tetra huffed, " What're you… sitting down for? Are you… are you tired?"

"Elevator," Link said.

"What was that?" Fyrus replied, seemingly unfazed by the long trek up.

"_Elevator,"_ he repeated.

"What would that be?" the king said.

"It's this new thing that lifts people up and carries them down when there's no other way to get where you want to go or if it's a lot harder otherwise," Link explained, "At least, that's what it seems to be to me. You really need to get one or make one or something. Please."

"That sounds useful," Fyrus said, "I will look into it."

"Are you alright, Link?" Navi whispered, landing on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine," he replied softly, "but I wish I had wings like you, Navi."

"Is that where the sand dragon lives?" she asked. Link looked up at a large set of doors before them.

"Is that where the dragon is?" he said aloud, pointing at the doors as he stood up.

"Yes," Fyrus said, his expression becoming grim, "It is just beyond those doors."

"Is it locked?" Tetra said.

"In a way, yes," he said, "But no one can find a key and none of us can break it down. _That_ is why I haven't been able to get to Nabooru. The doors seem to be cursed. I thought that, perhaps, the Hero of Time could open it."

"I… I don't know how," Link said, "but I can look at it and see if anything works." He approached the large doors and examined them, feeling along to try to sense any cracks or hidden locks.

"There's nothing," he said after a few minutes. Fyrus sighed in frustration.

"Then maybe we can find another way," the king said, "Maybe we could attempt an aerial approach?"

"…_Master Sword…"_

"What?" Link said, "Navi, did you say something?"

"No," she replied.

"I thought I heard-"

"_Master Sword."_

"There it is again!" he exclaimed, "I heard a voice. It said, 'Master Sword'." Tetra sighed.

"So now you're hearing voi-"

"_Shh!"_ Link held up a hand, to which she rolled her eyes.

"I know that voice," he said, "It sounded like…" He thought for a moment, trying to recall exactly where he had heard the mysterious voice. It reminded him of the forest and of Saria. It made him think of…

"_Farore!"_ he shouted, "It was Farore!"

"_You_ have heard Farore?!" Fyrus gasped.

"Yes," Link said, "I talked to her in the forest. In the… well, never mind. That doesn't matter right now. What matters is that she wants me to use the Master Sword. But how?"

"_Strike the doors with the Master Sword. It will banish the evil that is sealing them shut."_

Link pointed his sword at the twin doors.

"What? What did she say, Link?" Navi asked.

"She said that the doors are being kept shut by some kind of evil," he said, "but I can open it with the Master Sword. That's what she meant. Stand clear!" With as much strength as he could muster, he slashed at the doors, letting the blade scrape the metal. A black wall became visible as it cracked and shattered into thousands of pieces all around them, accompanied by a sound like glass shattering echoed throughout the enormous room.

"A wall…" Fyrus whispered, once the near deafening crash had faded, "That would explain why we could not get in. The dragon must have created that barrier."

"Or Ganondorf," Tetra said, "He _is_ a powerful sorcerer, isn't he? I think he would definitely be able to make a dark shield like this."

"Maybe it was to keep me from getting in," Link suggested, "since I'm the new Hero of Time, he would want to stop me with anything he can, right? But evil and darkness can't stop the Master Sword."

"Perhaps I can help you defeat Ganondorf later," Fyrus said, "but now I can finally reach my Nabooru!" He reached for the doors, then slowly drew away from it, looking back over his shoulder.

"I want to warn you again," he said, "The Sand Dragon is dangerous. _Very_ dangerous. He can travel not only in the air, but also in the ground, as I have mentioned. Be prepared for anything. Watch yourselves and you surroundings _very carefully."_ Fyrus reached for the doors again, this time pressing against one. Link stepped forward to push the other one inward. The large, dusty doors creaked and popped as they parted to reveal a large, circular room.

"So… where is it? The huge, dangerous dragon you were going on about?" Tetra asked, though the fear she felt was evident as she rapidly glanced around.

"It could be in the ground," Fyrus said.

"If it is, it's being very quiet," Link observed, "Do you think it's asleep?"

"Possible, but unlikely," the king said grimly, "The dragon is a very clever beast. It is probably waiting until we step onto the sand."

"But we can't just stay here," Link said, "we have to do _something."_

"I agree," he said, "but we _cannot_ just-"

Making up his mind, Link drew his sword and dashed onto the sand, examining it.

"…run right into it," Fyrus finished, slapping a hand to his forehead.

"He's not terribly bright," Tetra told him, "Sweet, but dim. You'll get used to it."

"_Link!" _he hissed, _"Get back here! We just need to find Nabooru right now. You don't want to wake-"_ He staggered as the ground began to shake. They all fell as the sand shifted toward the walls in waves. Shocked and having only a moment to react, Link tumbled into the depths of the sand. He struggled to break to the surface, but he could hardly move. He wanted to swim out so that he could breath, but it was so much thicker than the water he was used to swimming through in Lake Hylia. Just as his lungs were beginnings to ache, he felt a hand grasp his own. He felt a tug as he was lifted out to where he could once again breathe. Link coughed and spat out sand as he tried to gasp for air.

"Are you alright?" Fyrus asked, patting him the back, "Your fairy friend came to me as soon as you went under."

"Navi?" Link huffed, "Where is she?"

"I'm here, Link!" a tiny voice called, as the fairy swooped down and circled him.

"Thanks, Navi," he said, "You really saved me! But we need to get rid of that dragon before it tries to bury anyone else. Can you find any weak spots?" Without another word, Navi flew high to where the dragon swirled around its layer. Link watched as the little ball of blue light circled the great beast, then flew back down.

"Did you find anything?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "There is a red jewel on its chest. I think your sword should be tough enough to break through it."

"But how am I going to get _underneath_ it?" he said, "That thing is like a giant snake with wings! I don't want it on top of me."

"The dragon has claws."

Link spun around, coming face to face with Tetra. She stared back at him, glancing up at the Sand Dragon.

"It has stubby legs and feet with claws underneath," she said, "It can pick you up."

"Your point?" Link said, though the ache in his stomach told him that he already knew.

"If you can get the dragon to grab you, you'll be right behind that jewel. It might be protecting the heart," she explained, "You're sword can reach that far from there. All you have to do stab up into it, break the jewel and you will probably slice into its heart. That should get rid of the dragon."

"But if it's dead and still in the air, what about me?" he said.

"Improvise," she said with a shrug.

"Improvise, right," he sighed, drawing his sword and examining it nervously. He knew that it, being the Master Sword, would no doubt have the strength to easily pierce through the Sand Dragon's red jewel. But that did not make him any less uneasy about being dropped from so high up. He nervously bit his lip, readying himself to catch the dragon's attention.

"_Look out!"_ Fyrus shouted, tearing Link from his thoughts, "The Sand Dragon is diving!" They scattered as the enormous creature swooped down then dove into the sand. A monstrous bulge rapidly traveled along the ground.

"Be still!" Fyrus commanded, freezing, then placing a finger to his lips. The lump of sand stopped after a few moments, listening. Navi perched on Link's shoulder.

"It can't find us," she whispered. Link shook his head. The dragon shifted slightly, deciding where to move, then the sand suddenly, slowly, began to sink.

"What's it doing?" Link hissed. Fyrus frowned, then widened his eyes in horror.

"_It's going to-" _

The king's words were cut short when the dragon burst up from the beneath the sand, it's long nose tearing through the surface like a great sword, resulting in another huge wave. Link ran forward, avoiding becoming buried again. He waved his arms and shouted, attempting to attract the beast. Seeing him, the dragon roared angrily and emitted fire as it turned toward him.

"It breathes _fire?!"_ Link whimpered, his voice high. He staggered back, turning to run, but yelped as he felt several enormous, cold claws wrap around his arms and hoist him into the air.

"_Link!"_ Navi exclaimed, flying in front of him, "Hang in there! You need to stab the red jewel just above you! Look up! _Look up!"_

"Navi," he said, looking down at the ground far below, "I don't think I want to do this anymore…"

"You have to!" she said, "Now is your only chance!"

He sighed and looked up at the dragon's chest. A red jewel no bigger than a Hylian shield was just within the reach of his sword. He grasped his sword in both hands and jerked it upward. With a crash, it pierced through the jewel and into the dragon. A deafening screech filled the air as the Sand Dragon wavered back and forth in pain. Link grasped onto a claw with one arm as they glided steeply to the ground. Within seconds, the great creature crashed, sliding into the curved wall. Link had let go, being thrown into the middle of the room. He groaned as he lifted himself up and squinted at the monster. The Sand Dragon was dead.

"Link! _Link!"_

It was Tetra. Link painfully rolled over to see her kneeling beside him. Fyrus stood just behind her as Navi floated beside him.

"Are you okay?" Tetra asked, looking him up and down, a hand hovering over him, unsure of what to do.

"I think I bruised my… everything," he groaned. She sighed.

"You'll be fine, "she said with a smile, "You're alive, and that's what-" She shrieked as the ground began to shake, then rise.

"What's going on?!" she said. The floor continued to rise until it reached a bridge that connected to it.

"It is another floor!" Fyrus said, then, pointing to an open doorway, "That must be the way out."

"Can you stand?" Tetra asked Link, offering him a hand.

"That _was_ a pretty nasty fall," the king said, "I could carry you the rest of the way."

"No," Link said, "It does hurt a lot, but that's okay. I think I just need help getting up." The two lifted him up as Navi attempted to help by pushing on his back. Link yelped in pain and fell back down.

"What's wrong?" Tetra said, her brow furrowing in concern as she checked him over again.

"It's my leg," he grunted, "It hurts- I can't move it." Fyrus knelt down and examined his right leg.

"It _is _crooked," he said, "It seems to be broken."

"With all the other things I hurt when I fell, it didn't seem so bad until now," Link said gloomily, "Well… I guess I'll take that offer for you to carry me, now." Fyrus bent down and scooped him up.

"I do hope I won't be making this any worse for you, Hero of Time," the king said with a frown.

"I'll need to-" Link winced, shifting slightly, "I'll need to see my great-aunts at Lake Hylia after this. They should be able to fix my leg. They're both witches and they make potions all the time. I'm sure they'll have something for me."

"Witches?" Fyrus said, "I have heard stories of witches known as the Twinrova who once lived out here, in the desert, but they vanished hundreds of years ago."

"Maybe your aunts are descended from them?" Tetra suggested. Link shrugged.

"Well, never mind that, now," Fyrus said, "We can reach the top of the Arbiter's Grounds from here, it seems. The Sand Dragon must have left Nabooru there. Come, we will be moving much faster since I am carrying you. I will try not to move too quickly, though, since I do not want to make this any worse for you." The young hero nodded, cringing.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link squinted, trying to see through the blinding sunlight. His eyes soon focused on a young Gerudo woman who sat with her back to them, her long red hair hiding most of the rest of her form from view.

"Nabooru!" Fyrus gasped. The woman turned slowly, clearly exhausted from neglect.

"Fyrus!" she called back, though her voice was weak.

"Link," the king said, "Would you be alright if I placed you in the shade? I want to go see her." Link nodded.

"I'll stay with him," Navi and Tetra offered simultaneously.

"Very well, then," he said, "I will leave him here." He gently placed Link onto the sand, his back against a wall.

"Link…" Tetra said, once again hovering a hand over his leg, "Your… tights… or whatever they are… are _red_ here! You're bleeding too much. We need to get you to your aunts soon. _Very_ soon." She looked back to see Fyrus and Nabooru reuniting in an embrace.

"_Fyrus!"_ she called, "Link's getting worse. We have to get him to Lake Hylia _now!"_ The two hurried over.

"How did this happen?" Nabooru asked, kneeling down to see.

"This is the Hero of Time that I told you about," Fyrus explained, "He broke his leg when he fought the Sand Dragon."

"Then we must… we must…" the young woman's eyes glazed over. The king, concerned, placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her.

"Nabooru?" he said, _"Nabooru!_ What is the matter?" He gasped as the jewel on her forehead began to glow.

"Wait…" Tetra said softly, "I recognize that. That's the Spiritual Stone of Fire! I thought that it was the _Goron's_ Ruby! Why does _she_ have it?"

"_I allowed her to find it,"_ Nabooru said in a low voice.

"So, then," Link said through heavy, pained breaths, "you must be…"

"_Princess Din,"_ she said, _"You are very strong to destroy the Sand Dragon and save this girl. For that, I will add my strength to your sword."_ She placed a handon the Master Sword, which Link was still barely clutching. A red mist flowed from her hand into it. She then sat up straighter and focused on Link.

"_You are weak because you are losing blood and you will not be able to battle your enemies with this broken leg, as you should know," _Princess Din said, _"Thus, I will send you to the two witches who helped raise you and they will heal you. You must see them for a gift, as well." _

"'Gift'?" he said, "What… what do I need it for?"

"_You will see,"_ she said, _"Now go, heal, then find Princess Nayru. Only then will you be strong enough to stop the evil king."_ The light faded. Nabooru fell limp and Fyrus caught her. Her eyes fluttered back open.

"I am Princess Din," she said, sitting up, _"I_ am the princess!" Fyrus smiled down at her. He then turned his attention to Link.

"She said she would send you to the witches," he said, then, turning back to Nabooru, asked, "How? How will you do it?"

"I do not know," she said, shaking her head, "I am Princess Din and I am _not_ Princess Din, it seems. Perhaps if I waved my hand? I do not know." She did so in demonstration, but another red mist poured from her fingers and surrounded Link, Tetra and Navi.

"I did _not_ think that would work," Nabooru admitted, "But may it send you where you must go, hero!"

"Thank you for your help, Link!" Fyrus called, although his voice was becoming distant, "I _will_ find a way to repay you!" Link tried to see through the now dense red cloud, but only gasped as the pain in his leg increased. He would need help _very_ soon.

**-You know, I really did think that I was going to be able to get this chapter up by Christmas. I really did. But, you know, things happen, which led me into being very, very busy. So, I tried to make this chapter longer than any other thus far as a sort of apology. But I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter! **

**By the way, I'm considering making an 'Ask Tangled In Time Link' Tumblr blog, so I can answer questions that way, too, and even draw a few pictures to illustrate. What do you guys think?- TwilighFairy928 **


	30. Nasty Blue Potion

**Chapter 25 **

**-Nasty Blue Potion- **

Within moments, the mist faded and vanished. They were at Lake Hylia, just in front of Link's house.

"We're back here!" Tetra exclaimed.

"We have to get Link help, now!" Navi said, swirling around her injured friend.

"Right," Tetra agreed, "You stay here with him and I'll get his aunts." First checking to make sure that Link was in a remotely comfortable position, she ran up to the door and knocked frantically. The door swung open and Kotake glared up at her.

"Oh, it's you! I heard you the first time, you know. I'm not deaf yet!" she huffed, then noticing Link, "Oh, you're finally back! What are you…" She gasped, quickly waddling over to him.

"How did you do _this?!"_ she said, then shrieked, _"Koume! Come over here! Link's hurt!"_

"What?!"

They all turned to see the little, old, bug-eyed woman toddle around the house. She stopped and examined the young man's leg.

"Tsk, tsk," she said, "Bloody and covered in… is that sand? If your father ever hears about this, he'll have all of us for supper! Except _you,_ dear," she added directly to Link, "He wouldn't want to hurt _you,_ of course. But how in the _world_ did you pull this off?"

"I was in the desert and there was this dragon-" he tried to answer, but winced and groaned.

"Never mind," Koume said, waving a hand dismissively, "You'll need to take an extra strong potion for this. I think a blue or red potion will suffice. Kotake, what do you think?"

"Blue would be better," her sister decided. She snapped her fingers and a broom shot out of the house. Link jumped, his eyes wide with shock, then gasped in pain, regretting the movement.

"I didn't know…" he grunted, "…that you could do that."

"What?" Kotake said, "How do you think I managed to whack you whenever you were across the room when you were small? Brooms come in handy for a lot of things. Now, _shhhh!"_ With that, she sat on the broom and flew into the house. A few moments later, she returned with a bottle filled with potion. She hopped off of the broom and waddled over to him.

"Help me lift him up so he can take that," Koume said to Tetra. Tetra nodded and they each hoisted Link up into a sitting position. He whimpered in response, but cooperated.

"Here, take this and it will make you feel better," Kotake said, tipping the bottle's contents into his mouth. Link gagged and spat it out onto her face.

"_No!"_ she shrieked, "You _must_ take this!"

"I'm trying…" he moaned.

"No you are _not,_ you overgrown child!" she scolded, "Oh, if you weren't injured so badly, I'd…! _Augh, just take it!"_ He cringed and tried again as the witch nearly force fed the potion to him. Once it was drained, she pulled the bottle away to reveal the disgusted look on the young man's face.

"It's _disgusting!"_ he exclaimed, gagging for effect.

"Oh, _stop _it!" Kotake snapped, balling her hands into fists.

"Well?" Koume said, "Are you feeling any better, now?" Link hesitantly moved his leg, but only slightly. He then moved it around a little more.

"I don't feel b-"

Kotake grabbed his leg and yanked it to one side. He cringed.

"How about now?" she said. He glared at her for a moment, then said, "It didn't hurt that time. Even though you _probably_ wanted it to. Am I right?"

"It _would_ serve you right," she spat, "You're just like your father…"

"I don't blame him for hating that nasty blue potion!" Link snapped, "It tastes worse than it smells! I'd rather-"

"Link," Navi said quietly, "Are you feeling good enough to get up now?" He huffed, but nodded.

"Yeah," he said, then, curling his lips from the lingering taste, he turned to his aunts and added, "Thanks."

"Hmph," Kotake replied indignantly.

"You're welcome," Koume said, shaking her head with a smirk, "Now, you need to get out of those clothes so we can wash them. They're filthy!"

"Do I just put on some of Papa's old clothes?" he asked.

"Yes, yes," she said, motioning him toward the house, "Just toss your dirty clothes outside your door when you're done." Link jumped up, pausing only for a moment to marvel at how much better his leg felt, and then ran inside. Tetra crossed her arms and shook her head with disbelief.

"It's amazing what potions can do these days," she said.

"Our potions are special," Kotake said.

"We have a few, ah, _secret ingredients,"_ Koume added with a wink.

"No one makes potions like we do."

"No one in all of Hyrule!"

"I'll know where to go, then, if I'm ever in trouble," Tetra said.

"For a price, mind you," one said.

"We can't do everything for free, you know," said the other, "Just for our boys. Mostly."

"I'll keep that in mind," she assured them. Kotake suddenly made a face, hopped on her broom and flew into the house.

"_Make sure to wash up before you put on that clean tunic!" _she shrieked to Link, "_You smell like a ReDead!"_

Tetra smiled when she heard his response of, _"Don't you even DARE say that! You don't know what I've been through today!"_

"Ah," Koume sighed, "it's just as if he never left."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Link stepped outside, down the stairs and onto the soft grass. Lake Hylia was certainly busy today. He stretched, feeling refreshed and watching the people go about their business, chatting and enjoying the day as if nothing had forced them away from their homes in Hyrule Castle Town. He lazily tilted his head in the direction of a small noise to his right.

"You know… it may be crowded, but it's still really very nice here," he commented to his aunt, Koume, who was busy picking mushrooms.

"You _would_ think that," she said, "and I'm not surprised." Link smiled.

"Is Aunt Kotake still inside?" he asked, "I need to know whether I should keep avoiding her or not. She was awfully mad earlier."

"That was your own fault," Koume scolded, "you wouldn't drink that medicine when you knew full well that it was good for you, then you spat it out in her face!"

"When was the last time _you_ tried it?" he said defensively, "It tastes like mushrooms gone bad- if that can even happen- mixed with… with… something worse, I guess."

"But it _did_ fix your leg," she said.

"It _did_ fix my leg, yeah," he agreed, "So… where did Tetra and Navi go?"

"That Tetra girl went to clean up, too, then she left," Koume said, "and that fairy friend of yours wandered off to explore, I think."

"Where to?" he asked.

"Oh, around the town."

"Navi went off by herself?" he said, frowning when she nodded.

"Those two may have found each other," she suggested, "but yes."

"I'll go look for them," Link said, taking off down a path.

"_Wait!"_ he aunt called behind him, _"Where did you put your clothes?"_

"_Just on the floor in the bathroom!"_ he called back. He winced when he thought he heard her yell something about how lazy he was. He was too distracted with wondering where he should go next to remember where he was supposed to put them. Although, he did like that green tunic. He had never owned anything to wear that was green before. Now, he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to wear it again. He would have to be more careful that that didn't happen again. Link didn't want to be stranded in a dungeon in pain and unable to escape. He shuddered and continued down the path. After a few minutes of searching, Link began to call for his friends.

"Tetra!" he shouted, "Navi, where are you?" Seeing a couple of smiling, chattering women just outside of one of the many houses, he approached them.

"Excuse me," he said, interrupting them, "but could you help me? I'm looking for a girl about so high," he held a hand up to show them, " She's got her hair pulled up in a funny-looking blond bun and there's a blue fairy… about the size of my fist, or so, possibly with her. Have either of you seen them?"

"Oh, yes," one of the women said, "I've seen a girl pass by here who had a blue fairy with her a while ago. You don't see fairies much anymore, so they certainly stood out!"

"That's great!" he said, "Could you please tell me which way they went?"

"They went that way, toward the barns," she said, pointing, "You can't miss it; it's one of the biggest buildings in town and it smells horrible, like, well, animals."

"Got it. Thank you!" he said as he hurried along, dodging the people walking to and fro, until several long, wooden buildings came into view. He sped inside, spotting a young man around his age, busily sweeping.

"Uh, excuse me," Link said, unsure. The man looking up and nodded, but continued to sweep.

"I-" Link froze, then quickly ducked down to see the stranger's face more clearly. The man cringed and stepped back at the invasion of his personal space. After examining the freckles, messy brown hair and dark blue eyes, Link blurted out, _"Mido?!"_

The man jerked his head up at the sound of that name. Taking a step back to get a better look at him, Mido's jaw dropped.

"_Link…?_ Is that you?" he said, "You look… different. Where have you been over the past… how many years has it been since you went missing? Even _I_ found out about that, you know. From Saria- _wait!_ She went looking for you a while back. Is she…?"

"She's fine," Link said, "She'll be staying in the forest for a while, but she's fine."

"That's a relief," he sighed, "But where were you? Were you kidnapped or something?"

"No, no, I wasn't kidnapped!" Link laughed, shaking his head, "Why would anyone want to do that? No, I just- well- it's a long story."

"Right," Mido shrugged, "Well, at least you're back, now. Too bad you had to come now, though. Things have been rough, here and anywhere else in Hyrule, really."

"So I've seen," he said, turning his attention to a horse in a nearby stall that began to nibble on his hair. Running his hand along its dark face, Link suddenly remembered why he had come.

"Mido," he said, "I'm looking for a girl about so tall with a blue fairy about so big. Have you seen them?"

"Blond hair, blue eyes, keeping a horse here named 'Epona'?" the young man said.

"That's Tetra!" he said, "Do you know where she is right now?"

"Yeah," Mido said, "She's in the barn next to this one. Come on, I'll take you to her." Link followed him and they soon entered the barn in which Tetra stood in the half light, stroking Epona as Navi circled them.

"Tetra!" Link called. She turned and smiled at him as she put her hands on her hips.

"You found me!" she said, "So, feeling better now?"

"I'm walking, aren't I? You saw me earlier, anyhow," he replied.

"What did you _do?" _Mido said, raising an eyebrow.

"I broke my leg," Link said with a shrug, "My aunts fixed it."

"Ah," he said.

"Tetra, Navi," Link said, "I came to tell you that I need to leave soon. There's more for me to do, so I can't stay here. I think I'm going to go to the Zora's domain. That seems best."

"What you are going there f-" Mido said, but was interrupted by Tetra.

"I'm going with you," she said, "I'll just send a messenger to Mrs. Midna to let her know, and I'll just take a earful from her later," she then directed her attention to Mido, "Do you know of anyone who can take a message for me to Ordon Village?"

"I'd be happy to do it for you myself, ma'am," he said with a lopsided grin.

"That's very sweet of you," she said, "Are you sure? I mean, don't you have horses and cows and whatever else to take care of?"

"I'm not the only one that works, here, miss, so I should be able to find someone to take my place long enough for me to take care of that for you," he said.

"Thank you, that would be very helpful," Tetra said, "and Epona may need to stay here another night or two. Is that alright? I can pay for it."

"Certainly, miss," he said.

"Thank you," she said, "You're very sweet." Link watched, with some amusement, as Mido's face turned a deep crimson.

"Okay, then, Link," she said, "We need to get ready for whenever you want to leave. Let's go back to your aunt's house." Tetra then turned and walked out, leaving the two young men and Navi.

"Your girlfriend is very nice, Link," Mido said, once she was out of earshot, "Sorry that I didn't know that you two were together, before now."

"Wait, what?" Link said, frowning, "She's not my girlfriend- no way! She's just my friend. We've been adventuring together lately, that's all. Tetra is more like a… like… an annoying sister or something. I- I guess…"

"Oh, really?" Mido said, smiling in the direction that Tetra had just left in, but quickly turned his attention back to Link.

"Well, uh, I really need to get going," Link said, "I've got places to be and… stuff… to get done, you know? I'll be seeing you around, when we need Epona again." He waved and turned to leave, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned back to see Mido staring down at the floor intently then up at him.

"Link…" he said, seemingly struggling to find the right words, "I just… I've been wanting to tell you- if I ever had the chance to see you again that, um… I- I'm sorry. For being so mean to you when we were kids. You just disappeared one day and after a while, I started to regret it all. So… I'm sorry. I'd understand if you don't want to forgive me for all that I did, but I still wanted to say it." Link grinned.

"It's alright, I forgive you," he said, "After all, if I didn't, I'd be just as bad as how you treated me, then, right? So, forget that happened. You seem a lot nicer now, anyway."

"I… wasn't really expecting that," Mido admitted, "but thanks. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just keep looking after Epona, I suppose," Link said with a shrug, "I've got to go, though, so I'll see you later." He waved and hurried off in the direction that Tetra had gone. Navi, who had perched on his shoulder, spoke.

"That was very nice of you, Link," she said.

"There was no reason for me to hold a grudge," he said, "Not any good ones that _I_ could think of, anyway. Not really. So, I forgave him. Why not?"

"You really _are_ like the Hero of Time I knew," she said, "He knew someone with the name Mido, too, who was just like that. You two are so alike."

"I guess I should take that as a compliment," he said, "Let's go back, plan things out and rest for tonight. I've missed Lake Hylia more than I ever thought I would."

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

The next morning, Link, who was now wearing his beloved, magically stain-free, Hero-of-Time outfit, stood outside with Tetra, Navi and Epona, ready for departure. His great-aunts waved from the door.

"Link!" one called. Link turned to see Kotake hobble down the steps, clutching something.

"We have something for you," she explained.

"A gift," Koume added, "Something we thought might come in handy on your journeys." Kotake placed the object in her nephew's outstretched hand.

"A bottle of blue potion?" he said, studying it.

"Just in case you break anything else," Kotake said.

"So you won't have to worry about coming all the way back here," Koume said.

"You can also save it for your Papa, if you find him," Kotake said.

"Wait, how _has_ he been away all this time without his medicine?" Link gasped, "Do you think he's going to…"

"No, no! We've already been over this. He's _fine,"_ Koume said, "We've been finding ways to get his potions to him, don't worry."

"It's just a little extra," Kotake said, "For you."

"Just in case," Koume added.

"Right, thanks," he said, "I'll try to keep in touch, in any way that I can. Thank you for everything." Offering a quick hug to Kotake and waving to Koume, he smiled as encouragingly as he could and guided Epona and his friends away.

"Goodbye!" Kotake called.

"Be good!" Koume yelled.

The two glanced at each other and added, _"…Hero of Time."_

-It's been about four months since I last updated! I've really got to stop taking so long, I know. I apologize for not replying to your nice reviews. I do read through all of them and I'd like to take the time to reply, but things have been picking up for me lately because of a new job (which I love) and a number of other things. I still have every intention of finishing this story, though, so I'll keep at it as much as I can. Updates may be far apart, But hopefully I can start shortening that time. By the way, **Tangled In Time now has a Tumblr page!** It's called 'Ask Tangled In Time Link', but you can find it as 'asktangledintimelink'. Please check it out! I'd be happy to answer an questions about the story- with pictures and answering as Link or any other character! I'm on there much more than I'm on here, so it may be easier to have your questions answered there. But I do still love your reviews and thanks so much for sticking with my story!- TwilighFairy928


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